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00:00:20,324 --> 00:00:21,934
Oh!
2
00:00:37,428 --> 00:00:38,338
She's using mites.
3
00:00:38,386 --> 00:00:39,736
Oh yeah, there,
she used it.
4
00:00:39,778 --> 00:00:41,648
Yeah, she's evoking
the juju.
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00:00:41,693 --> 00:00:44,913
- Oh, look!
- Yeah!
6
00:00:44,957 --> 00:00:46,217
My god.
7
00:00:46,263 --> 00:00:48,573
What's she gonna do
with a... fucking knife?
8
00:00:58,145 --> 00:00:59,445
What's she gonna do?
9
00:02:04,602 --> 00:02:06,172
Kinshasa, the capital city of
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00:02:06,213 --> 00:02:07,873
the Democratic
Republic of Congo,
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00:02:07,910 --> 00:02:10,090
is Africa's third-largest city,
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00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:12,830
with a population of 11 million.
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00:02:12,871 --> 00:02:14,221
It also happens to be home
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00:02:14,264 --> 00:02:18,444
to more French-speaking
people than Paris.
15
00:02:18,486 --> 00:02:19,786
It might be hard to believe,
16
00:02:19,835 --> 00:02:22,485
but pro wrestling is
incredibly popular here.
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00:02:22,533 --> 00:02:24,623
The WWE is broadcast
every night,
18
00:02:24,666 --> 00:02:28,576
and there's nearly 50 local
independent wrestling clubs.
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00:02:28,626 --> 00:02:30,446
Here, they have their own
form of wrestling,
20
00:02:30,498 --> 00:02:32,588
called catch,
or witch catch.
21
00:02:32,630 --> 00:02:36,030
Outside of the Congo,
it's almost totally unknown.
22
00:02:36,068 --> 00:02:38,068
One thing we do know is
that many wrestlers
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00:02:38,114 --> 00:02:39,994
use fetish and ba koko
24
00:02:40,029 --> 00:02:41,899
which are objects and rituals
drawing upon
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00:02:41,944 --> 00:02:43,734
magical ancestral powers,
26
00:02:43,772 --> 00:02:45,472
to assist them in the ring,
27
00:02:45,513 --> 00:02:47,523
and the fans here
still seem to believe
28
00:02:47,558 --> 00:02:49,388
that wrestling isn't staged.
29
00:02:50,866 --> 00:02:52,736
We're meeting with
the Champion Jaribu,
30
00:02:52,781 --> 00:02:54,521
who has recently
converted to Christianity
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00:02:54,565 --> 00:02:57,435
after 20 years of
practicing black magic.
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00:02:57,481 --> 00:02:59,311
He's gonna show us around
and help us learn
33
00:02:59,353 --> 00:03:03,843
about witch catch wrestling
and how it's practiced today.
34
00:03:03,879 --> 00:03:06,099
The champ!
35
00:03:13,628 --> 00:03:15,108
So there are two types
of wrestling, right?
36
00:03:15,151 --> 00:03:17,681
There's the witch catch,
37
00:03:17,719 --> 00:03:19,199
and then there's
the technical catch.
38
00:04:37,625 --> 00:04:39,575
Do the people that you used
to wrestle with witch catch
39
00:04:39,627 --> 00:04:42,457
understand why you had
to do what you did?
40
00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:33,383
- Tshilobo?
Jesus!
41
00:05:33,420 --> 00:05:34,460
Tshilobo.
42
00:05:35,639 --> 00:05:36,679
Tshilobo.
43
00:05:37,598 --> 00:05:39,208
Tshilobo!
44
00:05:44,561 --> 00:05:47,781
Agh!
45
00:05:47,825 --> 00:05:49,215
Where are we going?
46
00:06:09,847 --> 00:06:11,407
Pastor Claude Kabundi Walesa
47
00:06:11,458 --> 00:06:14,808
is an influential pastor
and faith healer in Kinshasa.
48
00:06:14,852 --> 00:06:17,462
His televised sermons reach
an audience in the millions,
49
00:06:17,507 --> 00:06:20,027
and Jaribu claims he's
responsible for converting him
50
00:06:20,075 --> 00:06:23,505
from witchcraft and
guiding him to Christ.
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00:06:55,327 --> 00:06:57,587
Why is there this
relationship between
52
00:06:57,634 --> 00:06:59,334
the fetishes and the wrestling?
53
00:07:32,843 --> 00:07:34,283
So what is the actual process
54
00:07:34,323 --> 00:07:35,803
of freeing someone
from the mites?
55
00:07:35,846 --> 00:07:38,456
Like, how do you remove the
Satanic mites from them?
56
00:08:36,994 --> 00:08:38,824
Watching the church's video
made me wonder if
57
00:08:38,866 --> 00:08:40,866
Pastor Walesa actually
believes that Jaribu
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00:08:40,911 --> 00:08:42,651
was possessed by demons,
59
00:08:42,696 --> 00:08:44,786
or if he's just creating
content for his followers that
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00:08:44,828 --> 00:08:46,658
has all the excitement and
mythical drama
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00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:48,790
found in witch catch.
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00:08:48,832 --> 00:08:51,572
To be honest, I'm not sure
which is worse.
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00:10:13,395 --> 00:10:15,655
Knowing that Pastor Walesa
was a faith healer,
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00:10:15,702 --> 00:10:18,442
I expected things to
be a little strange...
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00:10:18,487 --> 00:10:20,177
But I didn't expect the
situation to be
66
00:10:20,228 --> 00:10:21,968
this bat-shit crazy.
67
00:10:35,330 --> 00:10:37,720
Jaribu has insisted that
we visit Queen Shakira,
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00:10:37,767 --> 00:10:40,377
a well-known wrestler and
practitioner of witch catch,
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00:10:40,422 --> 00:10:42,512
for a demonstration
of her powers.
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00:10:43,947 --> 00:10:45,857
This seems a bit strange
considering his recent
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00:10:45,906 --> 00:10:47,776
conversion to Christianity.
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00:10:47,821 --> 00:10:49,561
But regardless,
we're curious to learn
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00:10:49,605 --> 00:10:52,775
about the world
Jaribu left behind.
74
00:11:12,628 --> 00:11:14,408
Okay.
75
00:11:14,456 --> 00:11:16,016
Thank you very much
for having us.
76
00:11:19,766 --> 00:11:22,116
I guess, it's something
we've kind of found
77
00:11:22,159 --> 00:11:23,549
in talking to people here,
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00:11:23,595 --> 00:11:25,335
especially to people that
identify as Christian,
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00:11:25,380 --> 00:11:28,730
is that there's a
real fear of people
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00:11:28,775 --> 00:11:31,595
that practice ba koko,
people that identify
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with the older faith.
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00:11:32,953 --> 00:11:35,223
Why do you think people
here are so fearful
83
00:11:35,259 --> 00:11:37,169
of you and your power?
84
00:12:09,772 --> 00:12:11,252
It was a white egg.
85
00:12:11,295 --> 00:12:12,295
Okay.
86
00:12:20,304 --> 00:12:22,614
Wow.
87
00:12:35,232 --> 00:12:36,412
Okay.
88
00:12:39,628 --> 00:12:41,458
One thing that I find
particularly interesting
89
00:12:41,499 --> 00:12:45,329
is Jaribu's coming
back and wrestling,
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00:12:45,373 --> 00:12:48,423
but this time, he's left
behind fetish catch.
91
00:12:48,463 --> 00:12:53,693
What are your thoughts on him
converting to Christianity?
92
00:13:38,078 --> 00:13:40,858
And how long have you been
practicing, as far as
93
00:13:40,907 --> 00:13:43,297
being a priestess?
94
00:13:57,967 --> 00:14:01,007
And what are some of these ways
that you demonstrate this power?
95
00:15:24,401 --> 00:15:26,711
I'm astonished by the level of
theatrics and story lines
96
00:15:26,751 --> 00:15:29,491
that are being played out
for our benefit.
97
00:15:29,537 --> 00:15:32,407
What Shakira performed was
quite obviously sleight of hand,
98
00:15:32,453 --> 00:15:37,073
but both her and Jaribu treated
it as though it was real.
99
00:15:45,031 --> 00:15:47,341
What did he say?
100
00:15:50,427 --> 00:15:52,387
I can't tell if this is the
Congo's version of a
101
00:15:52,429 --> 00:15:53,999
wrestling promo, or
if there's something
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00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,870
weirder going on here.
103
00:15:56,912 --> 00:15:59,222
Regardless, everyone is
so deadly serious
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00:15:59,262 --> 00:16:01,702
that I can't help but feel
obliged to play along.
105
00:16:21,067 --> 00:16:23,977
- You're okay?
- Yeah.
106
00:16:49,965 --> 00:16:52,095
This is Club Zamba,
which is another
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00:16:52,141 --> 00:16:54,841
wrestling training facility
here in Kinshasa.
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00:16:56,928 --> 00:16:58,928
Jaribu is the one who
brought us here.
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00:16:58,974 --> 00:17:01,414
Jaribu has been kind of taking
us around this whole time,
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00:17:01,455 --> 00:17:03,885
introducing us to
various people that kind of
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00:17:03,935 --> 00:17:06,975
are former friends, at least
how he's explained it to us.
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00:17:07,026 --> 00:17:10,026
These are people that still
practice the fetish catch,
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00:17:10,072 --> 00:17:12,682
still practice ba koko,
and of course,
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00:17:12,727 --> 00:17:15,077
he's converted to Christianity,
but he somehow
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00:17:15,121 --> 00:17:18,561
still has friendships and ties
with these people.
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00:18:11,133 --> 00:18:14,143
Okay... okay.
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00:19:03,098 --> 00:19:10,148
Hot angle.
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00:19:10,192 --> 00:19:11,632
Ready for battle?
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00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:17,900
"Bo"!
Tshilobo!
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00:19:19,549 --> 00:19:20,939
And-- what?
121
00:19:22,073 --> 00:19:23,813
- Tshilobo!
- Yeah!
122
00:19:23,858 --> 00:19:26,948
Tshilobo!
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00:19:35,522 --> 00:19:38,092
This is a roadshow.
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00:19:38,133 --> 00:19:40,353
Wrestlers parade themselves
through the streets,
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00:19:40,396 --> 00:19:43,916
gathering fans as they make
their way to the ring.
126
00:19:43,965 --> 00:19:46,005
There seems to be so much
riding on Jaribu and
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00:19:46,054 --> 00:19:48,194
Yalala's match that I don't
know if what we're gonna see
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00:19:48,230 --> 00:19:50,150
is gonna be wrestling,
or if it's gonna escalate
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00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:53,239
into a legitimate brawl.
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00:19:53,279 --> 00:19:55,239
We've been walking for
about 20 minutes,
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00:19:55,281 --> 00:19:57,981
just amassing more
people behind us.
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00:19:58,022 --> 00:20:00,422
Everyone's dancing,
celebrating,
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00:20:00,460 --> 00:20:03,330
but that's not to undermine
the real stakes here.
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00:20:03,376 --> 00:20:05,246
For Jaribu,
there's some real stakes.
135
00:20:05,291 --> 00:20:07,381
He said if he
doesn't win today,
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00:20:07,423 --> 00:20:10,863
he may revert back
to the fetish catch,
137
00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:15,255
and may leave behind his
conversion. So...
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00:20:15,301 --> 00:20:17,691
Pretty, pretty heavy
stakes in this one.
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00:21:24,674 --> 00:21:27,854
So he's evoking his juju
at the same time,
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00:21:27,895 --> 00:21:29,545
as in the other corner,
141
00:21:29,592 --> 00:21:33,512
Jaribu was praying to Jesus,
praying to God, I guess,
142
00:21:33,553 --> 00:21:37,343
and invoking his ba koko
in the form of Jesus.
143
00:21:47,828 --> 00:21:51,048
- No-sold it.
- Tshilobo, yes.
144
00:21:51,092 --> 00:21:52,442
Trying to use his mites.
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00:21:58,534 --> 00:22:01,714
Every time Yalala tries to
use his juju on Jaribu,
146
00:22:01,755 --> 00:22:04,185
he's, he's no-selling it.
147
00:22:04,235 --> 00:22:06,235
But you can tell
they're both wrestling.
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00:22:06,281 --> 00:22:07,801
Like, this isn't a shoot.
149
00:22:07,848 --> 00:22:11,458
This is definitely a wrestling
match that we're seeing there.
150
00:22:14,681 --> 00:22:15,771
Yes!
151
00:22:17,074 --> 00:22:19,344
Yeah!
152
00:22:50,281 --> 00:22:51,501
- He win.
- He won?
153
00:22:51,544 --> 00:22:53,984
And now, Jaribu win.
Jaribu win.
154
00:23:25,969 --> 00:23:28,279
Kayfabe is the wrestling
term for presenting
155
00:23:28,319 --> 00:23:32,189
staged performances as
authentic athletic competition.
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00:23:32,236 --> 00:23:34,536
This illusion used to be how
things were everywhere,
157
00:23:34,587 --> 00:23:36,147
but starting in the 1980s,
158
00:23:36,197 --> 00:23:38,027
the walls of secrecy
began crumbling and
159
00:23:38,068 --> 00:23:40,458
wrestling fans
saw behind the curtain.
160
00:23:40,506 --> 00:23:42,026
However,
kayfabe is still
161
00:23:42,072 --> 00:23:43,682
alive and well in the Congo,
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00:23:43,726 --> 00:23:47,026
and fans seem unaware that
the fights are predetermined.
163
00:23:59,089 --> 00:24:00,609
Tshilobo!
164
00:24:06,749 --> 00:24:08,619
One of the hardest things
a wrestler has to do
165
00:24:08,664 --> 00:24:10,584
in their career is lose to
someone they know
166
00:24:10,623 --> 00:24:13,153
they surpass in every way.
167
00:24:13,190 --> 00:24:15,320
Yalala has been as
open as he can
168
00:24:15,366 --> 00:24:16,796
without breaking kayfabe,
169
00:24:16,846 --> 00:24:18,536
but it's obvious
by his demeanour that
170
00:24:18,587 --> 00:24:22,367
this loss cuts deeper
than just the match.
171
00:25:20,954 --> 00:25:25,484
Oh, that's heavy!
Very heavy!
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00:25:36,578 --> 00:25:38,578
When we arrived at the
pastor's house, we were gonna
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00:25:38,624 --> 00:25:40,504
sit outside and just, we thought
we were just gonna pick him up
174
00:25:40,539 --> 00:25:42,579
and go to the church with him,
but at that point,
175
00:25:42,628 --> 00:25:44,588
we were told that we were
supposed to come inside.
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00:25:44,630 --> 00:25:47,940
We were also told that we're to
leave our cameras in the van
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00:25:47,981 --> 00:25:51,591
and not record any of
what was going on.
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00:25:51,637 --> 00:25:53,987
And once we got into the room,
he sat us down,
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00:25:54,030 --> 00:25:57,560
introduced us to his two
very large security personnel,
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00:25:57,599 --> 00:26:00,209
who stood in front of
the door, and then
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00:26:00,254 --> 00:26:02,004
it was explained to me that
I was going to be giving
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00:26:02,038 --> 00:26:05,478
a speech today. We went over
the content of the speech.
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00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,960
He then edited my content,
and put in some things that
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00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:10,832
he thought that I
should include.
185
00:26:10,873 --> 00:26:13,623
This is one of the more
unusual situations I've ever
186
00:26:13,659 --> 00:26:16,529
been in, in my entire life,
but off we go
187
00:26:16,575 --> 00:26:19,055
to a Congolese mega church
188
00:26:19,099 --> 00:26:24,019
to help him
convert more disciples.
189
00:26:24,060 --> 00:26:27,630
So, we're always involved in
someone's game here,
190
00:26:27,673 --> 00:26:29,073
we're finding out.
191
00:26:29,109 --> 00:26:32,719
It just depends who's game
it is at any given time.
192
00:27:39,135 --> 00:27:41,135
- Amen.
Amen.
193
00:27:54,629 --> 00:28:03,859
Tshilobo!
194
00:28:17,565 --> 00:28:19,475
It's hard to put into words
exactly how I felt
195
00:28:19,523 --> 00:28:21,533
in this moment.
196
00:28:21,569 --> 00:28:23,269
The church was making
a documentary on
197
00:28:23,310 --> 00:28:24,920
us making a documentary
198
00:28:24,964 --> 00:28:26,494
as part of their
promotional material
199
00:28:26,530 --> 00:28:28,050
to convert more people.
200
00:28:32,798 --> 00:28:35,148
But since they want me
to give a speech,
201
00:28:35,191 --> 00:28:37,671
I'll give 'em one
they won't forget.
202
00:29:17,843 --> 00:29:21,503
We've come from very far
away in Toronto, Canada.
203
00:29:23,631 --> 00:29:26,291
And I heard many stories
about Congolese catch.
204
00:29:29,855 --> 00:29:33,595
But I'd also heard of the
Champion Jaribu.
205
00:29:37,210 --> 00:29:39,910
He had left that behind
because he had found Christ.
206
00:29:43,825 --> 00:29:48,915
So yesterday, we came and
we got to see Champion Jaribu
207
00:29:48,961 --> 00:29:55,101
in the ring, and sure enough,
through his mite in Christ,
208
00:29:55,141 --> 00:29:58,931
he was able to
overcome his opponent.
209
00:30:06,282 --> 00:30:09,462
- Whoo!
-Whoo!
210
00:30:09,503 --> 00:30:10,723
So I say to you...
211
00:30:10,765 --> 00:30:13,855
Tshilobo...
-
212
00:30:13,899 --> 00:30:15,159
Tshilobo.
213
00:30:18,207 --> 00:30:21,987
I said, I said, tshilobo!.
214
00:30:22,037 --> 00:30:24,127
I said, tshilobo!
215
00:30:25,562 --> 00:30:28,092
I said, tshilobo!
216
00:30:31,612 --> 00:30:34,142
I said! Tshilobo!
217
00:30:36,269 --> 00:31:00,509
- Tshilobo!
Jesus!
218
00:32:52,971 --> 00:32:56,631
So, yesterday at the match,
no one seemed to pay.
219
00:32:56,670 --> 00:32:58,800
Everyone just
came in for free.
220
00:32:58,846 --> 00:33:00,236
Does it normally
work that way?
221
00:33:00,282 --> 00:33:03,982
Like, I'm curious how you
get paid as a wrestler.
222
00:35:06,234 --> 00:35:09,934
For wrestlers in the Congo,
a clear paradox exists.
223
00:35:09,977 --> 00:35:12,407
Their fans demand they use
sorcery in the ring and
224
00:35:12,458 --> 00:35:14,758
in their services as
witch doctors,
225
00:35:14,808 --> 00:35:17,028
but then the general
public shames the wrestlers
226
00:35:17,071 --> 00:35:18,941
and calls them Satanists,
causing them
227
00:35:18,986 --> 00:35:22,416
to be pushed further
to the margins of society.
228
00:35:22,468 --> 00:35:24,688
In a country where the
average person survives on
229
00:35:24,731 --> 00:35:27,431
less than a dollar a day,
it's a vicious cycle
230
00:35:27,473 --> 00:35:31,223
that only exacerbates
their poverty.
231
00:37:43,957 --> 00:37:46,567
The interesting thing about
Pastor Walesa is that
232
00:37:46,612 --> 00:37:49,182
he's criticizing wrestlers for
being false prophets and
233
00:37:49,223 --> 00:37:52,623
Satanists, but then he uses
the same magic and pageantry
234
00:37:52,661 --> 00:37:55,101
to promote his church.
235
00:37:55,142 --> 00:37:58,012
By converting one of the most
popular wrestlers in Kinshasa,
236
00:37:58,058 --> 00:38:00,408
he's very cleverly
gained direct access to
237
00:38:00,452 --> 00:38:03,412
a huge new audience.
238
00:41:24,917 --> 00:41:27,307
Given the lack of, you know,
239
00:41:27,354 --> 00:41:30,274
financial rewards,
given the physical risk,
240
00:41:30,313 --> 00:41:33,493
and given the social
stigma attached to it,
241
00:41:33,534 --> 00:41:38,024
what keeps you both wrestling?
242
00:42:48,130 --> 00:42:50,660
I think of anywhere
I've been in the world,
243
00:42:50,698 --> 00:42:55,528
this is the most exciting style
of wrestling I've ever seen.
244
00:42:55,573 --> 00:42:59,193
What you're able to do with
what little you have
245
00:42:59,228 --> 00:43:02,968
in terms of a ring and
in terms of, you know,
246
00:43:03,015 --> 00:43:06,185
training facilities,
it's unbelievable.
247
00:43:06,235 --> 00:43:09,195
You, you guys capture that
crowd in a way that
248
00:43:09,238 --> 00:43:13,418
I've never seen wrestlers
capture a crowd,
249
00:43:13,460 --> 00:43:15,240
and it's beautiful.