Yekini, the king of the arenes or the Senegalese struggle between sport and tradition

One cannot tackle the issue of sports in Senegal without mentioning the Lamb,', a traditional form of wrestling. A true cultural and social phenomenon, the Lamb stands out as Senegal's most popular sport but also as a specific physical practice that is specific to that country. The comic book Yekini, le roi des Arenes (Yekini, King of the Arenas') by Lugrin and Xavier, published in 2014, tells the story of Yekini, Tyson, and Balla Gaye II, three outstanding Senegalese wrestlers who vie for the title of king of Dakar's arenas. This article deals with Senegalese wrestling, both as a competitive, performance-driven sports practice, and as an aestheticized physical practice which resonates with Senegal's cultural tradition, displaying a network of symbolic, social, and mystical meaning. This network is embodied by the comic's heroes, as Yekini, Tyson, and others engage, in competing ways, with the definition of what tradition is, has been, or should be like. Parler de sport au Senegal, c'est evoquer le Lamb, la lutte traditionnelle. Veritable phenomene social et culturel, la lutte se presente non seulement comme le sport le plus prise mais aussi comme une pratique sportive traditionnelle specifique au Senegal. La bande dessinee (BD) Yekini, le roi des arenes de Lugrin et Xavier publiee en 2014 relate l'histoire de Yekini, de Tyson et de Balla Gaye II, trois lutteurs senegalais exceptionnels qui se disputent le titre de roi de l'arene dakaroise. Notre article s'interesse a la lutte senegalaise, d'une part, comme une pratique sportive competitive orientee vers la recherche de la performance, et d'autre part, comme une pratique corporelle esthetique, qui renvoie a une dimension culturelle senegalaise mettant en OEuvre tout un systeme symbolique, social, mystique, que les figures des heros de la BD comme Yekini et Tyson viennent mettre en scene, du fait d'engagements et de rapports differencies a la definition de ce qu'a ete, qu'est ou pourrait etre << la >> tradition.