LALLOUZ INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

In a traditional Spanish bullfight, Matador David Lombardo bravely places himself in harm’s way, if not at death’s door, the very moment he enters the arena. After all, a Toréador only has his courage, his professional technique of matadorial maneuvers, and the support of his entourage. After that, he’s completely on his own in a ‘one-on-one ‘til the deaths of man against beast’.

To commence, the bull is lanced on the back of his neck by a picador on horseback. Despite the slow flow of blood, the bull remains extremely strong, hence placing the matador in extreme jeopardy throughout the course of the bullfight.

The pinnacle of peril is the moment the matador aligns himself with his adversary, strategically thrusting his sword into the bull’s aorta. A masterful Toréador will achieve this action in one skillful stroke. Missing the mark is looked upon as a bungled fiasco.

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In the Provence region of Southern France, there is no shortage of controversy when it comes to Spanish Bullfighting, otherwise known as ‘Torromachi’. Defenders behold bullfighting as ‘a bull’s last hurrah’ -- ‘a spiritual send-off’, ‘a respectful and dignified ceremonious event’. Theirs is a belief strongly ingrained by a preponderance of tradition.

Animal rights activists vehemently denounce bullfighting as nothing more than ‘a self-deprecating blood sport’. A means by which cowboys legitimize barbaric behaviour in the name of cultural sustenance.

LIM Publisher and Cofounder, Elyahou Lallouz takes to the bullring, not in a ringside seat, but in the bullring itself with nothing more than a frail 2-inch plank of plywood between him and a deadly twelve hundred pound bull... ‘a reality communiqué’ brimming with nonstop adrenaline surges.

LIM Publisher, Elyahou Lallouz as seen filming inside of the arena, taking refuge behind a flimsy two-inch plank of wood as the 550 kilo bull enters the arena for a Spanish bullfight.

Despite the oozing punctures at the hands of the Picador, the bull remains steadfast in a fight for life.

Toréador David Lombardo takes focus while aligning himself with the toro in hope of successfully lunging the sword between the bull’s shoulder blades, and fatally hitting the heart... a stage where Lombardo is in grave danger of getting gored by the bull.

Asked how Lombardo feels he fared, “My feelings are that I always give the maximum. In that measure where I invest in the limit of what I can give, it leaves me with the sentiment of having accomplished something concrete within my conception of Torromachi. Given the bull at hand and the people present, I gave the maximum of myself and my capabilities. The impression that I have is that I faced the bull, and I succeeded in killing him. Therefore, I accomplished the mission which I set out to do today. From an artistic viewpoint, that of a ‘pure torromachi’ aspect; it’s true that it was a victory, but there was no creative expression... there was no artistic expression.”

Lombardo evaluates the bullfight as, “Difficult, very difficult, because he was older. He was a difficult bull. In addition, the arena was a bit too small. You could see by his attitude, and his size... in context, with all of these given factors, he was even stronger, because of the reduced perimeter. And because of this, he dominated the ring more so than if he would have been in a larger ring where I would have had the freedom to move around and direct him from one corner of the arena to another.”

Following a few close calls, Matador David Lombardo takes a moment to reflect after the bullfight.

Picador, Nicola Barpoli’s job is to puncture the bull (in this particular case, multiple times) on the back of the neck, weakening it for the impending fight with Matador David Lombardo. The horse is blindfolded and shielded with an armour called a ‘peto’ to prevent the possibility of injury or disembowelment.

LALLOUZ INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE: Whether one is ‘Pro’ or ‘Anti’ Corrida depends largely upon the individual’s upbringing, somewhat similar to that of religion... each component weighing heavily. ‘Sensitivity toward issues as such is a vast trail to a journey long’.

We make laws, we break laws! Although the Animal Protection Law of 1850 banned bullfighting, the government reversed its ruling due to it being so strongly opposed. Today, many people are in favour of substituting Spanish-style bullfights with the traditional French ‘Course Camarguaise’ -- a competitive sport in which ‘Raseteurs’ (men) compete to remove attributes (rosettes) that have been placed on the bull’s head for prize money, whereby the young bulls are not killed.

MEET YOUR MEAT: “Wherever did you think it came from?” The bull is eviscerated by Abattoir Alazard & Roux. Since 1934, this French slaughterhouse has been regarded as one of Southern France’s major high quality meat suppliers.

According to Guardians (bull-breeders), the bull would become extinct if not for the Corrida. A design by virtue of man for the survival of the toro... a means for its continuance. Unlike other wildlife, ‘the bull is untrainable’. From birth, its first instinct is to hurt man. No studies have ever proven favourable with regard to successfully ‘taming a toro’.

Consequently, sitting in judgement from one’s corner of the globe, passing sentence on those who act impassioned for ‘a cause for which they genuinely believe’ leaves much to explore on a subject such as bullfighting.

KILLING OF THE BULL

CUTTING OF THE BULL

An LIM MEDIA Exclusive

There are those who repudiate bloodshed, yet others who lust after ferocity. Concurrent denunciations toward violence, whilst tasting its vermilion wine. Slaughter has and always will remain the grievance of championship concerning any colossal convention. The very ‘mortal doctrines’ that ‘kill the heathen’, ‘kill the sinner’, ‘kill the embryo’, ‘kill the prophet’, ‘kill communism’, ‘kill supremacy’, ‘kill prerogative’, ‘kill prohibition’, ‘kill evolution’, ‘kill creation’... KILL BULL.