As he hoped when he decided to study abroad this quarter, University of Chicago wrestling student-athlete Cade Creighton is finding his time in Senegal to be the perfect combination for his dual major of economics and anthropology. What he did not anticipate was a meaningful wrestling experience on top of it.
“I was looking to get my civilization requirements out of the way early in my academic career, but doing so in a way that provided a strong focus on both my majors. I wanted to have a true learning experience and Senegal has given me the opportunity to learn a lot more about CFA (the West African currency used by eight independent states that comprise the West African Economic and Monetary Union) and general African anthropology,” he explained. “It is the perfect program for me other than missing part of the UChicago wrestling season. I talked to the coaches and weighed my decision carefully. I felt I would regret it if I did not take the opportunity to go to Senegal now. I am very glad I am doing it.”
Wanting to Wrestle in Senegal
Creighton is one of a class of 30 UChicago students studying at the West African Research Center in Dakar, the capital and largest city in Senegal. “One day, we made a 4-to-5-hour trip south to Sine-Saloum on a planned trip to watch a village wrestling tournament. I didn’t think much of it as wrestling is the national sport in Senegal and equals soccer in popularity,” he commented. “We were riding in a van through winding roads in the dark. We could hear the drums from far away and I was mentally preparing myself to wrestle just in case. The ride felt like I was riding with my UC teammates except that I was in Africa, and it was just me.”
Read Cade Creighton’s Letter to His Team About Senagalese Wrestling
On the off chance that he would be able to participate, he even wore his fight shorts under his pants for the trip. “I heard from my teammate Griffin (Seyfried) that two years ago, he was able to participate here on the beach during some practices. I asked my tour guide Fatou if I would be able to compete because I did not want to pass up that opportunity if it was available. She told me, ‘I don’t think you’re ready.’ I said to her, ‘You don’t think I am good enough,’ but she replied that she didn’t think I was ready spiritually.”
Having studied the role of a Seriñ in African culture, Creighton knew the importance of the spiritual role in wrestling in Senegal. “I knew that the Seriñ cast protective spells on their own wrestlers and harmful spells against their opponent, so I knew how serious this aspect was to the event. Seeing the lights and all the people, and then the sand pit with all these muscular Senegalese guys pacing and dancing in circles made me want to wrestle even more,” he described. “I kept asking if I could wrestle, which was translated in French (the main language in Senegal), but they were concerned about liability. Finally, I got the thumbs up that they would allow me to wrestle.”
The Matches
Creighton admitted being nervous before the match, particularly since a competitor in an earlier match suffered a serious knee injury. “I started taking my clothes off and the people of the village were confused and surprised that this college student was going to be wrestling. You are required to dance before the match, so I just started bouncing and doing what they were doing in just my shorts. Then someone gave me a piece of cloth and pointed me in another direction,” he explained. At that point, the Seriñ poured water on Creighton’s hands and head. “I splashed the water on my face and felt like I had some protection now. My ritual back home is to splash water on my face just before my match. That helped me see this as just another match,” he continued.
Someone then put the cloth around him, wrapped it up around his shorts, and matched him up with another wrestler. “He was very gracious to agree to wrestle me. I knew they didn’t want to risk any of their top guys against me. I was still nervous, put my hands in the sand and rubbed them together, and began the match. First, I hit him with a snatch single into a double, which seemed to surprise him – that I knew how to wrestle. Me winning seemed to hype everyone up,” he exclaimed. “They led me around, put my arm down first, and then raised it. Then they made me do Baakou (Senegal wrestling dance) in the four corners. The same guy asked me if I was up for another match and I didn’t feel like I was in a place to refuse. The second match lasted two minutes, which was long since the matches are just to takedown and are usually quick. I tried to get a Russian tie, but I couldn’t do that much. He got a super clean snatch and was grabbing my cloth, something I was not accustomed to. I put my leg to the outside and dropped quickly into a fireman’s carry to flip him over, a move that seemed unfamiliar to them. It was peculiar to me that they didn’t do some of the common moves we do as they do a lot of standing snatch and trips. I won and they had me dance around. It went as well as it possibly could have.”
Creighton did not know that an even better opportunity would come his way later that night. “At the end of the tournament, they had me stand with the first- and second-place finishers. I gave the prize money and a bag of rice to the winner, and we had some pictures taken. That was an honor,” he affirmed.
The Complete Experience
Being in Senegal is far from Creighton’s first time in another country, but he sees it as his most critical experience abroad thus far. Two summers ago, he went on a trip to Europe with stops in Romania, England, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Greece, but he acknowledged that trip was completely as a tourist.
He had one somewhat comparable trip when he wrestled in Japan in 2019 for USA Wrestling’s cultural exchange program. “I wrestled for Team California against all-star teams from Japan in Okinawa. We competed in duals against teams there and the U.S. Marines base team. I stayed with a host family there and that was a big reason why I wanted to do this program. There is no experience close to living with, and transplanting yourself in, another culture, eating with them, and learning from them. The Japan trip was only 11 days, but I get to do this for nine weeks.”
In addition to learning some French, he has also had the opportunity to take classes in Wolof, a language mostly spoken in Senegal as well as Gambia and southern Mauritania.
“I originally came to UChicago with only economics in mind, thinking of making money because school is so expensive. I fell in love with anthropology and my interest lies somewhere in between the two,” Creighton described. “My majors are opposites in a lot of ways. This experience in Senegal is something that allows me to find both those things. My job is not my end goal in life. I want to travel and learn about other cultures, to be a more worldly person.”