00:00The day Morocco's Fatemeh Zahra El-Mamani qualified for the Olympics' newest sport will
00:05live long in her mind.
00:07Not only did she become the first woman in the world to book a spot in the breaking competition
00:11at Paris 2024 in May last year, but she did so as her father lay in hospital having surgery.
00:18''I was really sad because I got the call on the same day of the African Championship,''
00:23B-girl El-Mamani, as she is known during competition, told BBC Sport Africa.
00:28''I was like, ''Can I dance while my dad is in hospital?''
00:33Then he called me and said, ''If you want me to be in good health and want me to be
00:37happy, just do it and win it for me,'' and I did it for him."
00:42Her victory at the Continental Championships in Rabat showed how far El-Mamani had come
00:47in changing perceptions, including those of her father, about women from North Africa
00:52competing in breaking.
00:55''It was the greatest moment of my life,'' the 25-year-old said.
00:59''He was watching me live on a screen at the hospital.
01:03It was so emotional.
01:05I got my medal and went to see him and told him this is for you.
01:09He was super happy.
01:11He said, ''My heart was about to stop when I saw you in this competition.
01:15I cannot describe the happiness he felt.
01:18It was in his eyes.''
01:21The pioneer who won the war B-girl El-Mamani clinching the 2023 African title crowned a
01:26hugely successful event for Morocco, as her compatriot Bilal Malik known as B-boy Billy,
01:32booked his place in the men's event at Paris 2024.
01:36The pair became the first qualifiers for the sport's inaugural appearance at the Olympics.
01:43Watching on with pride was Selma Benani, president of Morocco's Federation for Aerobic Fitness,
01:48hip-hop and related sports, which encompasses breaking.
01:53Having studied aerobic sport in the United States, she brought her knowledge back to
01:57Morocco 28 years ago, and could only dream that one day one of her passions might become
02:02an Olympic sport.
02:03''I'm not just proud, I'm excited, overwhelmed with happiness, because hip-hop and breaking
02:09have been my fight since the founding of this federation,'' Benani told BBC Sport Africa.
02:16''We are in Morocco.
02:17The culture of hip-hop comes from the USA, from the Bronx, and it was born in the streets.
02:22The youngsters of the Bronx wanted to express themselves via a dance.
02:28So they created the battles, talking to each other through physical dance, and expressing
02:32their feelings, but also expressing hope in life.
02:36And that's why the slogan of breaking is peace and love.
02:39That's something I love.''
02:42So how could Morocco, a Muslim country steeped in very different traditions and cultural
02:47values, be at the forefront of promoting breaking?
02:51''Moroccan society did not accept it 28 years ago,'' Benani explained.
02:56''I was young and I'm a woman.
02:59Hip-hop culture, graffiti, rap, it's a man's culture.
03:01So it was very difficult.
03:04I had lots of rejection, I couldn't have any partners or sponsorship.
03:08The Ministry of Sport didn't care about it.
03:11So I'm not just proud.
03:12This is a war that I won.''
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