First-ever African Kung Fu master talks about cooperation with Moscow

Securing cooperation with Russia will be a significant achievement for the African Martial Arts Festival (FADAM), Dominique Martin Saatenang, founding president of the festival’s organizing committee, told RT in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

Saatenang, who trained at China’s renowned Shaolin Temple, is Africa’s first Kung Fu master. He is currently visiting Moscow for the first time and hailed Russia-Africa relations as “stronger” than ever before.

“In this case, for us during the FADAM Games, it is important to invite all nations to take part,” Saatenang, the son of a Cameroonian tribal king known as the African Bruce Lee, said. He described Russian athletes as “amazing.” 

FADAM, the first international martial arts festival in Africa, aims to bring together martial arts practitioners on a continent that has long focused on football. It now has 64 countries and 5,000 participating athletes, according to the organization’s website, and is being supported by notable figures such as actor and martial artist Jackie Chan.

Speaking to RT, Saatenang said since the first rendition of the festival in April 2018 in Cameroon’s coastal city of Douala, more countries have expressed an interest in taking part in what is the “only open world martial arts” event.

Aside from bringing nations together to showcase their cultures, FADAM also allow them to show off their economies and attract foreign investment and cooperation, Saatenang said.

“The Chinese are very proud of me for what I did for their culture in Africa. Today…I negotiate for scholarships in China to bring a lot of Africans to go to study in China especially in Shaolin Temple,” he said, responding to a question about the benefits of FADAM to both China and Africa.