They may not be kung fu stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Jet Li, but a group of Hazara girls in Afghanistan is making sure that the ancient art does not fade away.
This requires even more effort in a country where martial arts are popular but it is notoriously hard for women to participate.
The Shaolin Wushu club in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and home to the Hazara ethnic community, is a rare exception.
The video below shows the struggles the girls face as they try their hand at the modern version of the ancient martial art derived from the practices of the monks of Shaolin in northern China. “There are many people harassing us but we ignore them and follow our goals,” says Shakila Muradi, a member of the club.
Dating back thousands of years, the ancient tradition of Wushu has been passed down through generations. In Central Asia, Buddhist monks travelling along the silk route to settle in other parts of Asia often took the practice with them.
The training, whenever possible, goes on in a gym dominated by a poster of Hussain Sadiqi, a Hazara martial arts champion who fled to Australia in 1999 and later worked as a film stuntman. His story is revealed in the short documentary The Art of Fighting (video below).
Sima Azimi, the 20-year-old leading the practice session, is optimistic despite the challenges. Azimi, who learned the sport while living as a refugee in Iran, says Wushu teaches self-defence, but, just as important, “it’s really effective for body and soul”.
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