July and August is in Europe the time for summer holidays. Taekwon-Do schools and clubs have breaks in conducting training sessions or are organizing the summer camps.

However, the situation looks slightly different for the Taekwon-Do practitioners on the African continent.

Starting from 2nd July 2016, Mr. Niklas Enander, 6th Degree from Sweden, the member of the ITF Africa Development Team started his over 5 weeks long journey though the African continent in order to teach Taekwon-Do in African schools.

During his stay he will visit Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia while teaching, demonstrating, conducting official seminars and preparing the schools for competition.

He will conducted the following official seminars:
24th July 2016 – Self defence seminar in Kampala, Uganda
26-27th July 2016 – Soonwhan Do Seminar in Nairobi, Kenya
29th -30th July 2016 – Soonwhan Do Seminar in Mombasa, Kenya

Usually the preparations for his trips to this continent last the whole year long, when Mr. Enander collect funds and donations for Taekwon-Do practitioners and our friends in Africa. It was not different this year. Thanks to help of many generous people Mr. Enander succeeded to assemble around 115 kg of the sponsored material (221 items packed in 5 very big bags), which he will pass over to schools and clubs during his visit.

40 kg of sponsored material for Tanzania and Malawi including an ITF flag for each Club

The activity of Mr. Enander can be followed at his Facebook profile, where he created a special photo album: "Holliday" 2016

Year 2016 will be another milestone for the development of the ITF in Africa. From the 2nd to 5th August 2016 in Addis Abeba there will be held a cycle of seminars, courses etc which are called Ethiopian International Taekwon-Do Association Events. The culmination point will be the 2nd Africa Continental Meeting on Friday, 5th July. Its purpose will be a historical event – the establishment of the Africa Taekwon-Do Federation (ATF) and election of its first authorities.

Very interesting is the fact that during this ATF constitutive meeting in Ethiopia present will be the representatives of 9 countries, which also happen at the constitutive meeting of International Taekwon-Do Federation.

The nine founding states present at the meeting in Addis Abeba will be: 1. Djibouti – represented by Mr. Omar Bahdon, 2. Ethiopia – represented by Mr. Wogajehu Behailu, 3. Kenya – represented by Mr. William Wamweya, 4. Madagascar – represented by Mr. Tafita Rakotoarisoa, 5. Mozambique – represented by Mr. Alexandre Mabjaia, 6. South Africa – represented by Mr. Bert Gey van Pittius, 7. Tanzania – represented by Mr. Said Kennedy, 8. Uganda – represented by Mr. Robert Ojiambo, 9. Zimbabwe – represented by Mr. Richard Mashanje.

Finally on 6th and 7th August in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will take place the 5th African Cup 2016. This tournament will be the first Continental Championship. On Saturday will take place the competition for seniors and on Sunday for juniors. The championships are open also to the competitors from abroad of the African continent.

The initiator and the originator of the activities in favour of Africa as well as the person who is running and supervising the project of development of Taekwon-Do in Africa is Grand Master Paul Weiler, 9th Degree from Germany, ITF Senior Vice-President.

Besides Mr. Niklas Enander, Grand Master Weiler invited this year to Africa also Master Ernesto Santaniello, 7th Degree from Italy, Master David McNairn, 7th Degree from Scotland Mr. Andrew Niven, 6th Degree from Germany who will assist him during the National Umpire, Technical (Pattern), Breaking and Kid’s Seminar to be held in Addis Abeba which will be dedicated to following subjects: pattern, sparring, breaking, self defence, umpires, kid’s, promotion preparation and finally degree test.

If you are not part of this event this year, you can participate in them in the next years.

We hope to be able to publish summary reports after all the activities will finish.

Below you can see the Invitation: