Live and Kicking

　　An African film maker is popularizing Chinese martial arts in Africa

　　Two people are fiercely locked in wushu， the Chinese martial art made famous by the movie makers of Hong Kong and even Hollywood. But they are neither kungfu legend Bruce Lee nor matinee idol Jackie Chan. Instead， they are both Africans and the battle on the silver screen is from an African kungfu movie， Escape. It is directed by Kouma Steve Dzibril， an African kungfu practitioner who stars in the movie as well.

　　The 32-year-old from the Republic of the Congo has gained fame in the international martial arts community with his great passion for Chinese kungfu. “I love wushu. It creates passion and teaches humility，” he said. “It is an art that shows us how to develop self-discipline and build self-control.”

　　Unique dream

　　While an increasing number of Africans are learning martial arts， Dzibril has a unique ambition. “I have experience both as a film maker and kungfu practitioner，” he told ChinAfrica. “That is why Chinese martial arts are shown so extensively in my movie.”

　　As China and the Sub-Saharan republic enjoy a deepening relationship - this year the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations - Dzibril would like to make meaningful contributions to the bilateral culture exchanges.

　　Escape， his first production， is also the first action movie in Africa which extensively incorporates Chinese martial arts. The 90-minute film premiered in capital city Brazzaville on May 31.

　　Chinese actress Li Ran attended the premiere. “I never thought I would have the chance to play a role in Dzibril’s next movie，” the 21-year-old former wushu champion told ChinAfrica. “I have practiced martial arts since I was a child. But I never expected Africans would demonstrate such passion and talent for kungfu. They are very professional practitioners of the Chinese martial arts.”

　　Dzibril’s next film tells the story of an African man who helps a Chinese girl repel hooligans， and they eventually fall in love. Martial art fights are interspersed throughout the film.

　　Luc Bendza， an experienced China hand， will be the film’s producer. He had a role in the Chinese kungfu film Women Generals of the Yang Family， where he met Li Ran， and then acted as a go-between to facilitate cooperation between African and Chinese actors.

　　Dzibril’s new movie has been attracting investment from some African telecommunication companies， including Warid Telecom and Azur Telecom， as well as some Chinese enterprises.

　　“I got [their] nods as soon as I talked about my film with them because they recognized the martial arts and values depicted in my production，” he said. “My first film gets a good response among African audiences， which I think is the decisive reason for the capital injection.”

　　At the premiere of Escape， the Brazzaville cinema was packed out. Due to the limited number of cinemas in Africa， Dzibril has a revenue model different from Chinese and Western film markets. He has started to make DVDs， which are sold worldwide to make money above limited box-office revenues. And Africans like watching DVDs at home.

　　Four years ago， Dzibril went to Shandong Sports University in Jinan， capital of Shandong Province， on a scholarship by the Chinese Wushu Association. He developed and improved his own style of martial arts and began to practice tai chi and nan quan or southern-style kungfu.

　　However， he was not satisfied. He went to Beijing Sports University six months later as a self-funding student to study sanda - kickboxing. He lived like other Chinese students and got along very well with them. He said he loves Chinese culture as the people are polite and humble.

　　Setting sail

　　After systematic training in Chinese universities， Dzibril’s martial art skills have greatly improved. He participated in a series of international competitions， such as the 2010 Guangzhou International Wushu Festival and the 11th Conference of the International Wushu Federation in Turkey， and won laurels.

　　Dzibril has set up a martial arts club - Wushu Sets Sail， a platform that provides those interested in wushu exposure to the art. Asked why， he laughed， saying making money is just a side business. The real purpose is to tell the world that Chinese culture is good， and people of all ages can practice wushu. “I think wushu is good for your health， and it can be used in self-defense as well. Moreover， it is an effective way to consolidate the bilateral friendship.”

　　In addition， Dzibril organizes a variety of wushu training sessions and participates in local TV programs as well as parties and activities to promote Chinese martial arts. The number of Africans participating in wushu competitions is on the rise.

　　Dzibril now plans to dub Escape into Chinese so that more Chinese can enjoy it. He is thinking of either asking friends in China to help or work with the local Confucius Institute. Since early this year， the film maker has begun to learn Chinese at the institute and can speak some simple phrases. “I can speak only a little now， but it will be better in the future，” he said.

　　By Cui Xiaoqin