Documentary Photography: A Korongo Nuba Wrestling Match

The photograph I chose is one taken in 1949 by George Rodger of  a Korongo Nuba wrestling match in Kordofan, which is located in Southern Sudan. At the time the Nuba tribe were still practicing their traditions despite the region being dominated by nomadic Arabs. Although I do not know much about documentary photography, I chose this image because of characteristics I think such a photograph exhibits. For one it is a photograph taken during an event that was not staged. The viewpoint is in media res. Secondly the wrestlers and onlookers are in natural poses. They are focused on the moment rather than what the photographer is doing. Interestingly the image is blurred which I believe is due to the limitations of photographic technology in the 1940s. Yet the blurriness of the photograph aids in the documentation of the wrestlers’ movement—it creates a tense energy that pervades throughout the entire image.


Rodger, George. SUDAN. Kordofan. The Nubas. 1949. ArtSTOR, Magnum Photos Collection, LON10652.