Text & photos by Raphael Ziro [Kenya]

South Africa is known for their love of rugby—the country just won the Rugby World Cup 2019.It is the biggest economy in Africa and an emerging global economy.Yet when listing all the things known about South Africa,canoeing will probably never come to mind.Until you come to China,then things start to happen.

Here comes the South Africa Dubula Dragon Boat Team.Dubula is a Zulu term meaning shooting a gun.This group of students drawn from South Africa and other African countries have defied the odds to form a team of amateur paddlers who compete in the world famous dragon boat competitions all over China.From the International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Cup 2019 in Ningbo,China,to local provincial races in Guilin and other cities,this team has defied all odds to learn a skill so foreign to the African continent.

Dubula about to leave the berth towards the start area in a competition

Started in May of 2019 in the city of Wuhan,Dubula is led by the captain,Richer Mongelo,while the team leader and coach is Sandy Lin—a beautiful,kind Chinese lady.Sandy helps with the logistics of the team.She is responsible for looking for funds and sponsors,organizing training sessions,identifying and registering the team into tournaments all over China,and generally making sure the team runs smoothly.Suffice to say,without the generosity and connections that the coach has,the existence of Dubula would be in question.

Sandy says her motivation to start a South African dragon boat team was sparked by the enthusiasm and energy of the South Africans,and the need for better mutual understanding amongst African and Chinese people.She considers the team more of an intercultural undertaking of sports.When she first met them in Dangshan,Anhui,she saw that there was something special about them,and decided to officially help make a team out of them.This was in March,2013.It must have been quite a memorable event for Sandy.

Dubula in Ningbo during the ICF Dragon Boat World Cup

Dragon-boat racing in Africa is not advanced.A group of students studying in China aim to break the odds by forming the South African Dragon Boat Team.With their participation in this sport,cultures interact,and Sino-African relations continue improving.

In May of 2019,the team participated in their first tournament as Dubula,at the Shenzhen International Dragon Boat Tournament,followed by a tournament in June in Yibin,Sichuan and later in the Shaanxi Ankang International Dragon Boat Classic.Since then,the team has competed in numerous tournaments including international dragon boat invitational tournaments in Shandong,Beijing,Shanghai,Guangxi,Guizhou,Miluo 15-kilometer Dragon Boat Rally in Hunan,and culminating into the ICF World Cup in Ningbo in October.

The team has not managed to win a top place,due to their inexperience.Their best podium finish was in the Beijing International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament where the team won 2nd place in the 500-meter straight track race,and 3rd place in the 200-meter straight track race.The fact that most team members are students with other commitments means they can’t devote more time to training,and therefore the team can’t compete favorably against the professional teams which train 5-6 days every week,says Mongelo,the captain.This does not bother Sandy,who acknowledges that water sport games are among the weakest in Africa.According to her,it’s about “spreading the good qualities of Africans and the African land—winning or not winning,the world should know.” She hopes that by continuously participating in these games,slowly by slowly,Africans will gain a more positive image,which is good for both China and Africa.

What are the future plans for Dubula? “I hope the team can get stronger by the day,to bring the spirit of Chinese dragon boat racing back to Africa,and bring African optimism and positivity to the whole world,” quips Sandy when asked about her vision for the team.

It may take a while for mutual understanding to take effect and biases to end,but for Sandy and her Dubula boys,she is working towards that,one paddle at a time.Until then,sit back and enjoy the Dubula show in dragon boat festivals all around the world!

Dubula with a Kazakh team in Guangxi