China’s Shaolin Temple monks spread their gospel of kung fu in Africa
Monks broaden outreach to continent where Chinese martial art has been overshadowed by tribal variety but isgrowing in popularity
Ten grey-suited Buddhists crouch like leopards stalking a muntjac, a type of deer, before barrelling across the stage in an explosion of gravity-defying pivots, kicks and somersaults that would make an osteopath wince.
These are the warrior monks of China's fabled Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kung fu which is spreading its gospel to Africa as part of a wood-smashing, sword-dancing, spear-balancing grab at global ubiquity.
"Shaolin kung fu isn't simply a physical exercise," said 26-year-old Shi Yancen as he limbered up at the Chinese-built Grand Theatre in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, ahead of the monks' first ever show in west Africa.
"Through learning kung fu you can also learn and admire the culture of Buddhism."
Shi, who has a gentle face and looks barely out of his teens, has been mastering kung fu for half his life in the austere surrounds of the Shaolin Temple, nestled in the forested mountains of Henan , one of China's most impoverished provinces.
A common sight for years across Asia, the United States and Europe, the Shaolin monks are turning their attention to Africa, where kung fu has been overshadowed by tribal martial arts but is growing in popularity.