Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan led the way

In the 1980s and '90s, Chinese actors Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were household names in Kenya, especially among young people. Few households had televisions, let alone VCRs, and one had to part with the hard-earned savings from doing without snacks in school to enjoy two hours of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon in a small movie den.

The desire to watch an action-packed martial arts movie has not dissipated with time. Instead, it has been heightened by blockbusters like The Matrix trilogy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which stoked local enthusiasts, says 36-year-old Aphrodice Bakurubusa, a Rwandan national who has carved out a niche as a trainer of trainers.

"This is where the KungFu Channel has filled the gap," according to the Shaolin kung fu master. "Martial arts movies can now be watched frequently and affordably at home."

The channel is produced and broadcast by StarTimes Media (Kenya), a Chinese-owned company operating in 14 African countries.

Kung fu is a study that demands patience, energy and time to achieve proficiency. The practice is said to have originated at the Shaolin Temple in Central China, where monks learned it for health and self-defense.

Bakurubusa, who started teaching kung fu in 1999 while in his home country, has lived and worked in Nairobi since 2009. He has started schools and trained teachers who are now headmasters at their own schools, mostly in middle- and low-income neighborhoods.

The social benefits are numerous.

"I have witnessed several unemployed youths, who previously led a degenerate life of violence, hooliganism and drunkenness, get a new lease on life by joining our schools," says one of the founders of the Shaolin KungFu Wushu Association of Kenya, which has around 10 member groups. "The classes also help to develop one's self-discipline, humility and health."

He is looking forward to showcasing some of his students during the KungFu Festival to be hosted by the StarTimes in November. He believes the event - including demonstrations by a troupe from Shaolin Temple - will crystallize young teenagers' ambition to join the discipline.

"Age does not limit your pursuit of martial arts. As long as you can stand on your two feet, you can actualize your dreams," Bakurubusa says, noting that even the elderly can achieve fitness and health benefits such as alleviating lung problems, improving blood circulation and reducing migraines and stiffness in joints.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/21/2016 page29)