The kick of the Warrior

The kick of the Warrior, a documentary about kids and violence based on a Samurai warriorschool in NY and Amsterdam.
Produced by Viewpointsproductions.

Read an article in the newspaper Het Parool (in Dutch)

Mo ’the Mambo - Kid’ Auguste:
”Kids love violence, like me, they are always attracted to it, I show them how it can work fór them......”

”With the growing population of Dutch citizens of Arabic descent, it is very easy for the recruiters of the many terrorist groups to influence children who have nothing but idle time on their hands. Like a mouse trap loaded with cheese to attract mice, we use the same in the form of martial arts to attract the inner city and at-risk youth. Once inside, we would steer them into the path of the true warrior and the road to righteousness. We firmly believe that children are our future.”

It is about a NY former Bloods-member in NY, who was in prison most of his time between the age from 13 till 18 and now a worldchampion Kickboxing. ”MO”Maurepaz Auguste, the Mambo Kid. He met in NY, this Dutch Marrocan woman called Nezha, who survived NY in a Latina identity ”Vannessa” they have a baby now ”Prince”. Since january they live in Amsterdam and they want to start a Warriorhouse here, for the kids in Amsterdam West.
Their inspiration is Martial Arts, a book of Musashi, a 16th century Samurai. Main theory: Embrace death. Since Mo embraced death he became a champion and stopped being a killer. He wants to heal violence with violence now.
I will follow the school for a year to see the impact on the kids and talk with Mo and Nezha about violence. They both are from extreme violent backgrounds and now want to cure violence in them and in the world through practicing and studiying violence.

I think we have to do something with the feelings of fear and violence so many people have nowadays.
I am wondering if martial arts could be a clue in that, but moreover, I want to do an opended inquiry about the energy of violence, of embracing death.
We in the West pretend to be so secular and Life is everything, and Death is horrible, and after death is nothing.
Now we are confronted with so many cultures/religions who do not have Life as the main focus. Life is short, Death is there to embrace, after death is the real thing....
So the film is really about beiing a warrior... How to become one? With what values?

http://www.kkos.org
Keeping Kids Of the Streets, inc.

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