Damien Agossou Degbo (front) and his students at his martial arts club in Akpro-Misserete town – credit, CLUB SUPER Shaolin Du Benin, via Facebook.

Meet Master Degbo, a Chinese Shaolin kung fu and tai chi teacher on the other side of the world from China.

From the West African nation of Benin comes the ultimate story in intercultural exchange, whereby a young man inspired by Jackie Chan films took up kung fu and persisted to run the largest Chinese martial arts club in his country.

In a town about 20 miles north of the country’s economic center of Cotonou, some 350 girls and boys of all ages stamp their feet and strike the air to the sound “hay-ya!” When the physical training ends, they can be seen in half-lotus, practicing Buddhist meditation.

It’s just another day in the Super Shaolin Club of Benin, founded by Damien Agossou Degbo.

Degbo was 13 when he first discovered kung fu through imported films screened at the cinema in Porto Novo. He was captivated by the mixture of grace, strength, and discipline the figures displayed in combat and out of it.

He found a local martial arts club and began training 4 times a week. 4 years later, a scholarship offered Degbo the chance of a lifetime—to study the real thing at the real place—the Shaolin Temple on the slopes of Wudeng Mountain.

“At Shaolin Temple, training was fast-paced and relentless,” Degbo told China’s Global Times. “Back home, we trained three to four times a week. But at Shaolin, it (Kung Fu) was a way of life.”

Like all warrior-monks, when not breaking boards and standing in horse stance, he learned Chinese calligraphy, tea preparation, meditation, and massage techniques; one can only imagine what a culture shock it must have been for a French-speaking teen from the hot and steamy, musical cultures of West Africa.

A year later, Degbo returned to China for a second round of cultural immersion, learning traditional dragon and lion dances, which in turn he brought back to Super Shaolin Club.

“I wanted to pass on what I had learned to empower young people with self-discipline, confidence, and an understanding of another culture,” he said.

With multiple locations in different regions across Benin, it’s the largest Chinese martial arts club in the country and perhaps all of West Africa. Students talk about self-empowerment, learning discipline and confidence, and being able to face the challenges of the day and the age with calm and focus.

MARTIAL ARTS FOR GOOD: ‘Like a Ninja,’ Karate Teacher Swoops Down on Purse Snatcher and Foils Robbery with a Kick

Degbo has become a fully-fledged cultural ambassador, linking two completely different peoples and parts of the world through the mutual appreciation of martial arts.

“Sharing Kung Fu with young people gives them insight into the values of Chinese culture: discipline, harmony, respect,” Degbo reflected. “It opens a window onto another worldview.”

MORE AFRICAN NEWS: Traditional Maasai Warrior Transforms Training Camp to Prepare Young Men for 21st Century Leadership

In Kenya, another foreign martial art is helping keep kids in school and off the streets. The Tsavora Fencing Club routinely hold bouts in the middle of a disadvantaged Nairobi suburb, where they strike a dramatic scene thrusting and parrying in their snow-white uniforms across the reddish ground.

Founder Mburu Wanyoike is a former gangster turned athlete and said that they use their “enthusiasm and obsession” to compensate for the lack of high-quality equipment.

SHARE This Story Of An Incredible, Intercontinental Connection Through Arts…