The Ziguéhi Movement and the Afterlives of Kung fu Films in Abidjan*

Abstract

ABSTRACT Kung fu films made in Hong Kong and Taiwan are one of the most influential film references for male youth audiences around Africa, but despite their influence, their circulation around the continent has only rarely been studied. This essay addresses this gap by analysing the long-term impact of kung fu films on street gang culture in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Kung fu films began to circulate in the country the 1970s. They were screened in Abidjan numerous popular neighbourhood theatre halls along Indian films and American B-movies. Their emphasis on fighting bare hands, the discipline of the body and the revolt to forms of authority perceived as oppressive made them popular among young viewers, who took explicit inspiration from them and began practicing martial arts. The street gang movement which emerged from these influences, known as the ‘Ziguéhi’, became one of the most influential in recent Ivorian history.