Goju Ryu Training In Kenya
During 6 months volunteering in Africa there are many memories that stand out, but one that remains at the forefront of our minds was the training sessions we attended in Kenya with the street boys and their instructor, Sensei Patrick Kabue. After 2 months of searching for a dojo, we had almost given up hope of being able to train in Goju Ryu in Kenya until we received an email telling us that there was an opportunity to train at the Street Children’s Assistance Network of Nakuru (SCANN), in the town where we were based for the first three months of our trip.
To give some context, when you walk through the town of Nakuru, or in any town or city in Kenya, as a mzungu (white person) you will be mobbed by small, malnourished, children wearing dusty, torn clothes and no shoes, glue bottles permanently held to their noses, begging for food or money. It’s difficult to describe the desperateness of their situation as it’s nothing like anything I had ever experienced in England, despite working with some of Sheffield’s most disadvantaged children in my day job. SCANN was founded in 1998 to offer a home, food, education and leisure activities to the boys and girls of Nakuru who, for a number of different reasons, have found themselves living on the streets. The centre currently houses 140 children aged between 3 and 17, the majority of which are boys.
Despite a few false starts (in true laid back Kenyan style, we would turn up, wait 2 hours and then be told they weren't training that day!) we arrived at the SCANN dojo and waited the obligatory couple of hours while the boys cleared the dojo. The dojo also doubles as the children’s dining room and the boys did a great job of sweeping (most of!) the beans, maize and rice from the floor. We changed into our gi bottoms that travelled all the way around Africa with us and nervously awaited the start of the session.
We attended two sessions while we were there. The first started with a warm-up, consisting of the most energetic bouncing and stretching exercises imaginable which, in 35 degrees of heat and at altitude, left us feeling warmed up in more ways than one! We then did some basic punches and kicks, including a lot of moving basics. Already our feet were feeling the effects of the gritty floor mixed with the remnants of the day’s lunch menu, though the boys were tough from their days on the streets and didn’t flinch at anything. The style and some of the movements were slightly different from that we are used to but after 2 months of practising kata and applications on our own in a room the size of a matchbox it was great to be able to stretch our legs and get stuck in. We then sat and watched each other perform various kata. The boys performed really well – their self-confidence was evident and they were very disciplined and proud of their kata. By this point we had quite an audience as word had got round that some female mzungus were training with the boys and the pressure was on not to make a mistake. We performed our kata after which Sensei Patrick approached us with a huge grin and said " now I can see we really are of the same goju ryu family”. It was a great feeling.
We left the sessions really buzzing and very content to have trained again and happy to have made new friends though I’m not sure our gi bottoms will ever be white again! We returned a week later, a few days prior to our departure from Kenya, for another session. Lindsey asked if she could lead the warm-up to show them how we would warm up in England. We went through a whole body warm up and then did some of the races and games we do with Sensei Andy – the boys found this hilarious! We then continued with a lot of moving basics (the dojo seemed VERY long from one end to the other in that heat!) and finished with some one-step sparring. We had photos taken with the boys and said our goodbyes. Once in Nairobi, on our way to Tanzania, we used some of the money raised by Sensei Andy and students and friends of Sheffield Hallam dojo to buy some pads which we understand were gratefully received by Sensei Patrick and his students.
The experience is one that will live with us forever. These boys, who realistically didn’t have much hope of surviving on the streets much beyond their teenage years, were the most polite, well-disciplined, charismatic children you could hope to meet. Through their programmes, including karate and other sports programmes, SCANN are giving these children a real chance at a future. We will never forget the time we spent with them and their Sensei.
For more information on SCANN, the work they do and to read some of the case studies, please visit their website at:
http://www.scannkenya.com