With the rise of Historical African Martial Arts (HAMA) there is a growing interest in cross-cultural exchange with its sister discipline Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). However, while HEMA has a long tradition of using the long sword, there is a gap in comparable and compatible weapons in HAMA. Enter: The Long Stick. The goal of this class is to delve into the vibrant history, techniques, and concepts from four specific styles; Oukaf from Algeria, Wasan Sanda from Nigeria, Sukuma Stick from Tanzania, and Donga from Ethiopia. Students will explore how these styles overlap and interact so they can, ultimately, understand and be able to employ all methodologies and strategies to effectively ‘communicate’ with HEMA and other practitioners. Be it through training, sparring, or competition, practitioners will be able to engage in martial dialogue with other weapon systems such as longsword, katana, miao dao, and polearms. By learning the commonalities and differences between European and African martial arts, we hope students will have gained a deeper appreciation for our wealth of Stick Fighting traditions, developed practical skills and knowledge that can be applied in either self-defense or sport, and will understand how different martial arts can inform and enrich one another. This class is suitable for martial artists of all levels, whether novice or seasoned warrior. Join us in this expedition through the History of African Stick Fighting.