Send Fuf to Japan! (for my Black Belt Grading)

Ofure Omere-Kessi is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, my name is Ofure Kitsutsa Omere-Kessi but some people know me as "Fuf". I am twenty-years-old, born in London, with roots in Nigeria, Tanzania and England. I left the U.K. at the age of 4 and lived in Dar es Salaam for 3 years before moving to Cape Town with my mother and two elder siblings. Throughout my life, I garnered a love for movement through martial arts, dance, and sports in general. Currently, I am training to be a stuntman/actor/writer in film.

It has been one of my lifelong dreams to visit Japan and fortunately, I have been invited by my Goju Kai (Karate) dojo to grade for my first degree black belt in Tokyo as part of a 7-day cultural exchange in July 2024! To do that, I need your help to raise £3000! But first here's my story:

Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with Japanese culture.

When I was five years old, my mother started reading this book series to us called "Young Samurai" which sparked my fascination with ninjas, samurai and the way of the warrior. I read those books religiously. At the time, I had also been introduced to some Ghibli films and the delicious food from sushi to ramen and teriyaki chicken.

At eight years old, when my family and I moved to Cape Town, our cousin introduced my brother and I to Naruto. This was our door to the countless manga and anime we've read/watched over the years and my first real contact with Japanese storytelling and art.

I later went on to read two of my favourite books: "Kafka on the Shore" by Murakami and Eiji Yoshikawa's "Musashi". I also fell in love with and played hours of final fantasy VII and the Kingdom Hearts series (two famous Japanese video games). My favourite Japanese movies are The Wind Rises, Your Name and Drive My Car. Down the line, I discovered Jazz and Rock legends Ryo Fukui, Fishmans and Masayoshi Takanaka (literally my desktop screensaver), as well as, more modern artists like Ichiko Aoba, Sambomaster and Haru Nerumi.

Two years ago, through the University of Cape Town, I made friends with some of the Japanese exchange students. One of whom came to visit me on holiday in Tanzania. With all this, there really are only two more things for me to do:

1. Learn the language which to be honest with the amount of times I've watched One Piece, I should know it already! And

2. Visit the actual country. That's where the Karate comes in.

At thirteen years old, I spent a year with my father in Tanzania where I met my first Karate Sensei Abdul, who trained me up to blue belt in Goju Ryu. Through him, I met Hanshi Peter Brandon - the head of the Goju Kai Africa division - and five years later, his son Shihan Frank Brandon, my current teacher here in Cape Town. Goju Kai is an international Karate organisation started by the legendary Gogen Yamaguchi in 1935 who was responsible for spreading the teachings of Chojun Miyagi - founder of the original Okinawan Karate - worldwide. Now at twenty years old, I am a brown belt training in Cape Town and Africa's Honbu Dojo (Headquarters) preparing for my Shodan grading set to be held in Tokyo next year July.

I am so close to passing a huge milestone and fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine however, I need your help to push me over the line!

By May of 2024 we need to raise £3000 for my grading and 7-day cultural exchange.

These funds will cover the costs of:

Flights,
Accommodation,
Food,
Transport,
Cultural activities and,
The grading fees. (All organised through my Dojo)

If we manage to raise more than that, I will use the additional funds to extend my stay and visit my Japanese friends whom I met here in Cape Town!!

To help me in this lifetime dream, I will be extremely grateful if you donate and share my fundraiser, any amount will help! And here's a special something for you: