No, really, there is an Afghan Bruce Lee!
A Kabuli resident has gained overseas fame through videos showing of his martial arts skills
Abbas Alizada (Afghan Bruce Lee) who’s resemblence to the great master of Kung Fu is uncanny, wants to be a role model for his country. Through his videos he aims to be an ambassador for peace in a land that still suffers from a civil war now lasting more than three decades.
Alizada believes that through sport he can deliver a message:
“My country needs educated people and sportsmen like me to prove to the world that there is not only war here, but also heroes who are set a positive example and do humanitarian work.” Alizada further added that he tries his best to advocate for peace and that the country desperately needs more people committed to ending the violence.
Alizada was born on 5th September 1994 in a poor family of Hazara (Shiite) with 10 sisters and brothers living together in the same small space. Since then has taken part in many competitions. People quickly learned that he doesn’t just look the part – he can fight as well.
The young Afghan dreamer finds time to exercise twice a week while also taking care of the responsibilities of daily life. Life isn’t easy, but for the sports fan at least, things are looking up.
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Sports are making a comeback after many years of Taliban rule and Alizada’s story is part of a larger trend. During the years of the dictatorship, the playing of sports had experienced a severe setback with almost all sports except wrestling being either forbidden or frowned upon by the clerics. But after their fall in 2001 playing sports became popular again in the country. In the recent decade, the country has had considerable achievements in the field of sport. The AfghanNational Football Team won the South Asia Championship while the country’s National Cricket Team earned top titles and found its way to the World Cricket Competition.
Today, you can even see Afghan women engaged in sports. Afghanistan’s female teams compete internationally in soccer, cricket, volleyball, weightlifting, and gymnastics. During the Taliban regime they were not even allowed to come to stadium to watch a game.
Sports, in Afghanistan have widely spread with the help of various TV Channels and improved Internet access. The two most popular sports are football and cricket which are played all over country with crazy fans looking on.
Like most Afghan youths Abbas has dreams, his greatest is to one day become the true „Dragon of Mystery Universe“, a title by which fans refer to Bruce Lee. He thinks it might just be possible even though achieving it won’t come easy:
“Maybe I can’t be like real Bruce Lee, but I won’t stop my efforts and I will not give up.” He adds “my dream started with his name, he is my motivation.”
