- [Mike] Warning.
This documentary contains graphic cultural events.
Viewer discretion is advised.
- It's a rainy day
in this township outside of Kinshasa in DRC.
We are winding our way through these streets
finding the secret location of a voodoo shrine
where the catcheurs,
the voodoo wrestlers will be training
for the event later today.
Don't know where we're going.
That's half the fun, right?
- [Mike] I'm calling it voodoo wrestling
but it's actually called Catch Fétiche.
Voodoo is from West Africa,
and we're in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Here, it's called Bokoko or Fétiche.
Catch Fétiche or fetish wrestling
is a strange fusion of magic and sport
like "Harry Potter" meets the "WWE."
You wrestle each other in a ring with magic spells.
I'm here with my guide Obed.
And if you want to come to DRC too, he's your guy.
We arrive at a very normal looking home
with Catch Congolais playing on the television.
I was disappointed.
I thought a Fétiche shrine would be different.
This was apparently
where all of the wrestlers get their superhuman powers.
Then, fire from behind the curtain.
There it is.
This is Lisapongue,
a powerful Bokoko priest and wrestler.
That voice is Koko, the Holy Ghost,
the ancient ancestor spirit of Fétiche that's on the phone.
Koko asks if I've made an offering to the shrine?
We haven't.
So Lisapongue leads us out of the room to do so.
- Yeah, good.
Okay, so they've asked for an offering
of 50 US dollars in an envelope, yeah?
Envelope?
Uh-huh.
This goes to Koko?
- [Obed] Yeah.
- It does yeah? - Yeah.
- Oops, there you go.
- [Mike] We wipe the envelope on our armpits.
Then he lights our $50 on fire.
- [Mike] Is that our $50?
- Yeah.
- [Mike] Poof, there goes 50 bucks.
- Yeahhhhhhh
- [Mike] We leave the shrine
and make our way to where the event will be held,
a small neighborhood at the edge of Kinshasa.
The ring must be assembled for each event.
Wooden planks and tarps make the floor
with sawdust for padding.
Wires and elastics are twisted into ropes.
It's a team effort.
While things get set up, we chat with Master Jidano,
lead coach, wrestler and overall head honcho here.
- [Mike] Wait, what?
No, he must have said
right?
How we scare people.
I asked him to explain.
Right, I guess we'll see then.
- Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Three men on a motorbike.
People don't pay for tickets for cash,
they build the ring,
people show up.
So if you want a crowd,
you gotta attract the crowd
so we're making a parade.
The party's arrived!
And there is quite a crowd.
- [Mike] This is Shakira.
She's famous,
and apparently very, very powerful in Catch Fétiche.
- She's the champion of Congo, Shakira
- Oh, she's the champion?
- Yes.
- That's super cool.
Right now all of the Catcheurs are,
I think they're hiding or they're preparing their rituals,
they're doing their private Fétiche in the corners
getting ready for the big event
which will start very shortly.
And for us,
right now we're the crowd.
We're the attraction.
Hello, what is your name?
(screaming).
- My name Mike, Mike.
- My name is Egwen.
- My name is Adus.
- [Mike] First up on today's agenda, is Catch Congolais,
where technique is used over magic.
With the blare of trumpets and the bang of drums,
it begins.
- [Mike] The rings brings a leak
and there's a quick break in the action.
- [Mike] I'm telling you now,
I still don't fully understand everything I saw.
But this is my interpretation of what happened next.
(whistle dinging)
The match starts out pretty normal.
Then, one man goes for a leg headlock
that is countered with Fétiche.
(whistle whizzing)
Then he retaliates with a gas attack.
Right before calling the match over,
the ref is frozen in time.
Then a spell is bounced back and forth
like a ping pong ball.
Resulting in a double K-O.
The match ends, with a much more effective gas attack.
And the crowd goes wild.
(crowd cheering)
- [Mike] This is one of the craziest things
I have ever witnessed in my life.
There is action every single second.
It does not end.
- [Mike] Up next is our man Lisapongue from earlier.
- Lisapongue then lives up to his word
and quickly kills a man with a crazy fist of fire.
(man screaming)
(whistle whizzing)
Then our champ Shakira enters the ring to perform a miracle.
(upbeat music)
- Alright get that man outta here.
He's been resurrected
I'm not sure if he's a zombie or just a little sleepy.
Either way, there is still spells happening behind me.
(upbeat music)
Oh, shit, it's Spiderman!
I'm not sure if it's the Spiderman or a Spiderman.
But my favorite part
is he has a fly necklace.
He caught a fly.
- [Mike] For this next fight,
I'll leave the interpretation up to your imagination.
(upbeat music)
Wooo.
- [Mike] So, any questions?
- All right, crew, last match, place your bets.
Shakira versus Zombie.
- [Mike] This is the clash of the titans
for Catch Fétiche.
- [Mike] The people stopped cheering.
The drums stop beating.
Only the trumpets keep blaring her theme song.
It's time for Shakira, the man eaters, signature move.
(tense music)
- Shakira!
- She cut out his intestine and ate them
and everybody ran away.
And that was the event?
That's the end?
- [Mike] That's the end of the game. (laughs)
The end.
Oh shit,
oh my God,
oh.
- [Mike] I stopped a local woman
to see what she thought of the disemboweling.
- It makes her happy to watch
even though we watched her eat the intestine, yeah?
(crowd cheering)
Shakira, Shakira, Shakira.
Now that is a way to end the night.
Thank you to you guys because
how we put this on
was the money we raised on Patreon
and there we raised money so we can fund these things.
They don't do many shows especially now during COVID.
So we were able to pay for one,
have everyone here enjoy themselves much as they can
when you watch a man's intestines
get pulled out of his chest.
- [Mike] Also all that footage,
way too graphic for YouTube.
So I put all the raw and uncensored scenes
on Patreon as well.
If you've got a strong stomach,
you should check it out.
- Chase your fears, and I'll catch you next time.
♪ We'll go without you I'ma live my best life ♪
♪ I'ma be my own boss even in my next life ♪
♪ Only coming up for the good vibe ♪
♪ If the vibe is right, you can book the next flight ♪
♪ There's no questions I'm the answer ♪
♪ Never puppet, I'm the master, stay Lifted like a Rasta ♪