Ams, you got the challenger right, but the challengee was Erkill, the dude
from Senegal that dethrowned Balla.  Remember, the contests were always
Fula/Mandingo against Jola, never Fula against Fula or Mandinka.  You also
never saw a Jola to Jola contest.  Interesting, isn't it?  Erkill's wife
kept pestering the lady to take her on and the lady ended up disappearing
just as she appeared.  That scam was brought by the Arena owners and they
collected a lot of money from folks.  I'm talking about Syrbell Madi, Pa
Modou Jatta, Betican Pierra, etc., among many others.  Jalang came after
Erkill, but they did not cross paths.

The folks that used Jalang are Georgy and Riad Aziz and it is sad to see the
state that Jalang was in the last time I saw him in 2000.  The guy was as
skiny as a rail and had a vocal chord and other health problems.   I did not
recognize him and was embarassed when he introduced himself.  This is a guy
I used to see everyday that I woke up, for he had an apartment accross the
street from my house.  A cousin of his, Saul was also renting an apartment
from us, thus I see this guy every day.  But he lost so much weight that I
passed him several times in the first few days I arrived not recognizing
him.

When Jalang was at his peak in the early 80s, they rented him a small one
room nook behind the store that they rented from Alhaji Malick Gaye to sell
spareparts.  He stayed there until he was broken.  Arenas around Gambia were
filled to capacity at his peak, how did he end up in that one room nook?  I
guess there are Don kings all over this world.

Jalang had a big heart and what ever little he made he spent it on his
people, for they came in droves from their village and stayed with him.
Unlike the wrestlers in Senegal, Jalang, like many Gambian
wrestlers/athletes before him, was used by the brokers of the game.  May his
soul rest in peace.

Chi Jaama

Joe


>From: Ams Jallow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: A Tribute to Jalang, the wrestler
>Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 12:02:25 EDT
>
>Wow! How do you keep your Long Term Memory Span in such sharp shape? You're
>real brother.
>Do you remember the female [Guinean] wrestler that came to challenge Balla
>and he chickened out? I remember the two that came out to challenge her
>were:
>Samba Jama [Truck/cab Driver] and Sampierre [the Lasso Wharf, bully].
>
>Wahh Duul! Noppi Deyh! Yahya's interpretation: Absolutely, no dissenting
>voice against Yahya or A[F]PRC, or NIA thugs will beat, maimed or kill
>victim;
>Being apolitical or intimidated, ultimate faith is Suddent Death Syndrome,
>#1
>killer of Gambians since July 22, 1994
>
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