From Bruce Lee craze to regional hub: how China’s kung fu captured Ivory Coast

Meite Siaka balances a demanding career as a senior tax official, lecturer, and deputy mayor with his passion for Chinese martial arts. He is the driving force behind the Ivorian Federation of Chinese Martial Arts (FIAMC), which he established in 2008, and now leads the effort to standardize and promote kung fu across the nation.

Siaka's own journey into martial arts began during the 1970s, fueled by the widespread fascination with Bruce Lee films and Hong Kong action cinema that flooded Ivorian cinemas. Even before formal diplomatic ties between Ivory Coast and China were established in 1983, these movies sparked a significant interest in kung fu.

"Bruce Lee movies played a role, but it was not the only factor," Siaka explained. "Hong Kong films and local television exposure also contributed significantly to the popularity of martial arts." He notes that these films offered a powerful model of discipline and resistance, a message that has deeply resonated with working-class youth in Abidjan and has since spread throughout French-speaking West Africa.

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Bruce Lee movies played a role, but it was not the only factor. Hong Kong films and local television exposure also contributed significantly to the popularity of martial arts.