Kung fu as cultural ambassador in Cameroon

YAOUNDE — When Rodrigue Tene Taling was 4 years old, he was captivated by Bruce Lee's kung fu movies which inspired awe and admiration in his hometown of Bafoussam in western Cameroon.

"Bruce Lee gave us the impression that a man can be invincible." He began to see Lee as an idol and promised himself that one day he would travel to China to learn kung fu.

His burning ambition was nearly dashed by the lack of a kung fu club in Bafoussam at the time. However, Taling's dream finally came true when he attended the University of Dschang in a neighboring town to study mathematics, where he discovered a martial arts club and immediately enrolled.

After years of practicing in college, Taling moved to the capital city of Yaounde and set up a kung fu club to train youngsters.

During a training session, the club received a special guest — the director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Yaounde II — who watched them practicing kung fu and was moved by the passion of young Cameroonians for Chinese culture.

That encounter deepened Taling's engagement with traditional Chinese culture. In 2010, through a scholarship offered by the Confucius Institute, he enrolled to learn Chinese language and culture and went on to graduate as one of the top students in his class.

With another scholarship from the Chinese government, Taling studied for a master's degree in Chinese language at Zhejiang Normal University, and for a PhD in Chinese traditional sports and culture at the Shanghai University of Sport. Today, the 38-year-old is the executive director of the Center for African Films and TV under the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.

"China is in a way my second country," he says. "My stay here is pleasant and peaceful."

According to Taling, the institute has produced a film focusing on his martial arts journey which will soon be aired in cinemas. Codirected by Taling himself, it is part of a Sino-African film project to tell the stories of individuals similar to his own.

With a deeper understanding of traditional culture, Taling intensified his kung fu training, receiving instruction from some of the best known masters.

He feels that kung fu embodies traditional Chinese medicine and physical strengthening, as well as the beauty of Chinese culture. "The martial arts are an art of discipline where you are taught awareness of the damage that violence can cause, and self-control."

Taling aspires to serve as a cultural ambassador, fostering understanding between Cameroon and China and promoting China's traditions. He says he has achieved more than he ever dreamed of as a child, thanks to the strong relationship between the two countries.

"China is one of the most important partners of Cameroon," he says, adding that ever-growing bilateral relations help create more opportunities for younger generations to realize their dreams.