The fetish for one's national history can take many forms. One such bizarre twist of nationalism is the Moldavian national ‘fight’ called Voievod. Invented in 2002 by a former Taekwondo champion, this particular style ‘functions based on human biomechanics and on an efficient association of more fighting styles that lead to the perfection of the Moldavian technique’, according to the official website. Hm. And because despite their unquestionable authentic Moldavianness (documented by many, uh, obscure literary sources) the Voievod moves look more like Karate Kid practice, the fighters occasionally sport traditional Moldavian clothing items, such as the cusma (sheepskin hat) and the bunda (sheepskin jacket). Convinced now? I’m no sports expert, but to me this screams of attempting to reconstruct a very romanticized and macho fantasy of national history...
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