Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program, I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on an interesting way to fight crime.
Voice 2
Durban is a beautiful city on the east coast of South Africa. In the past it was a British port. Today, it is still the busiest port in all of Africa. And it is the second largest city in South Africa. Many people enjoy the beautiful beaches and the feel of the city.
Voice 1
But many people have also experienced a darker, sadder side of Durban. The crime rate there is very high. Experts say that in 2006 there were more than two thousand [2,000] murders in the city. And there were over seventeen thousand [17,000] incidents involving robbery. One city official fears that many people feel unsafe in this beautiful old city. He says:
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“These statistics show that we have much to do before we can call ourselves a safe city and nation.”
Voice 2
In street attacks, like robberies, people can feel helpless. They do not often have weapons. People cannot defend themselves. They usually do not have training to fight off attackers. But what if they could receive training? What if people could successfully defend themselves against attackers?
Voice 1
That is the question Sifu Salim Badat asked. And he also had the answer. In October of 2007, Mr. Badat organized a special event - a workshop - at an exercise place in Durban. He invited people to come to a special two day class. For eighty [80] dollars, people could learn methods to defend themselves against attacks. And they would not be learning from just any teacher. People in this self defence class learned from Richard Bustillo.
Voice 2
Richard Bustillo is a martial arts expert. Martial arts are systems of fighting and self defence. With these methods, people can defend themselves using only their bodies. Bustillo has trained in many different forms of martial arts. He has over forty [40] years of experience. And he is an expert in many forms of martial arts - like boxing, Thai boxing, kajukenbo, jujutsu, wrestling, silat, and more! These martial art forms are all different. Clearly, Bustillo has great skill in martial arts. But there is also another thing about Bustillo that is very special. Bustillo is also one of Bruce Lee’s original students.
Voice 1
Bruce Lee was a very famous and respected actor and martial artist. People everywhere in the world have heard of Bruce Lee. He was born in the United States, in 1940. His parents were Chinese. Through his life, Lee studied many different forms of martial arts. And he used many of these skills in films, as an actor. In many of these films, Lee defeated a bigger or stronger enemy. He was a hero to many people.
Voice 2
Bruce Lee developed his own special way of fighting - a new way of thinking about and using martial arts. He called it Jeet Kune Do. In the Cantonese language this means “way of the intercepting fist.” Bruce Lee believed that an attacker must move towards his target to attack. When the attacker begins his attack, a person can move to stop, or intercept that attack. Using Jeet Kune Do, people defend themselves from an enemy’s attack by stopping, or intercepting, an enemy’s closed hand - or fist. Jeet Kune Do is one of the methods Richard Bustillo taught the people in Durban, South Africa.
Voice 1
Bruce Lee believed that real fights, like a street attack, were always changing. No one could know what would come next. Real fights did not follow any pattern. So, normal styles of martial arts were not useful in these situations. Jeet Kune Do does not use a set of defined movements - like many other martial arts forms. Instead, a person using Jeet Kune Do learns many different styles of martial arts. A person can defend himself against an attacker using any of these forms. But it is also useful because a person can build his own style of defence.
Voice 2
Mr. Badat and officials from Durban believe that Jeet Kune Do can be especially effective against street crime. Street criminals often do not have training in fighting styles. They do not follow the accepted movements or beliefs of martial arts. It can be difficult to know what they will do next. So a person trained in one particular martial art may not be prepared for these chance street attacks. And an untrained person may not be able to defend himself at all against a street attack. However, a person trained in Jeet Kune Do may defend himself much more easily. This is because he is ready for anything! Mr. Badat said:
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“In the old days an attacker would attack rigidly and you could defend rigidly. Now we are facing boxers and street fighters. They are able to move with quick skilled movements. Bruce Lee’s style concentrates on the individual. He was forty [40] years ahead of his time.”
Voice 1
Will these self defence classes improve the security of the city of Durban? Students who attended were happy they could learn new skills to defend themselves. They feel safer with these skills. Jenny was a student in the class. She said:
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“I am in my fifties. This is something I can use if I need to. I do karate, but this is very different.”
Voice 2
There are many different opinions about self defence. But for many people, self defence is a good way to raise their self-confidence, or their belief in their own abilities. People who believe in their abilities are better able to defend their communities.
Voice 1
Some people even feel a moral responsibility to learn self defence. In this way, they can prevent people from damaging communities. This is true for many religious people too. One Christian martial arts student in the United States had this to say about learning self defence:
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“My understanding of my responsibilities as a Christian has become clearer. I am humbled at my responsibility to protect the weak and be a servant like Christ.”
Voice 2
Richard Bustillo hopes that in the future he will return to South Africa. He hopes to continue to spread the ideas of Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do to make Durban, and places around the world, safer.
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