The Flying Cholitas, Goddess Of The Ring

Photo Credit: Daniele Tamagni

Daniele Tamagni is an Italian photographer, now based in Milan. His background is in art history, but he recently turned to dedicate himself completely to photography. Over the past few years he has begun to document African communities worldwide, from Africa itself to Peckham in London, undertaking specific projects focusing on culture, religion, music, fashion and art.

The Flying Cholitas, Goddesses of the Ring

Arts and Entertainment, second prize stories

July 4, 2010

La Paz, BoliviaCarmen Rosa looks out at the ring before a fight. Freestyle wrestling, or lucha libre, one of the most popular entertainments in Bolivia, was once the domain of men only. Now cholitas, women wearing the traditional skirts and bowler hats of the indigenous Aymara and Quechua people, are making a mark. The choreographed tussles, part-comic, part-epic struggles between good and evil figures, attract enthusiastic audiences. Some of the women even take on their male counterparts.Photographer's comment:"I shot the cholitas in La Paz, Bolivia in 2010. The idea behind this project was to tell stories about three or four fighters, showing them in their daily life, while backstage and fighting. Carmen Rosa, who is 40 years old, is the founder of these women who fight almost every Sunday. She is extremely passionate about fighting and has dedicated years to gain the success she has now. Her motto is 'grace and elegance in free fighting'. I wanted to show the violence, but above all the grace. The traditional aymara dress (multi-layered skirts) have an important role in the process of reaffirmation of their identity as Bolivian and as women."