A 20-year-old Afghan man is being described as “the reincarnation of Bruce Lee” after photos and videos of him striking iconic poses and wielding nunchucks were posted online.

Abbas Alizada, who goes by the name of Afghan Bruce Lee due to his striking resemblance to the star, hopes to show another side to his war-torn country. “The only news that comes from Afghanistan is about war,” he said in a recent interview.

Alizada was raised in Kabul, and is one of ten children from a poor family. His parents couldn’t afford the fees for him to study wushu, a Chinese mixed martial art, but the trainer spotted his talent and took him under his wing anyway.

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After videos of Alizada doing backflips and striking Lee’s iconic poses made him a hit in both Afghanistan’s small online community and the wider world last week, he gave an interview to Reuters in Kabul’s ruined Darul Aman Palace. “I want to be a champion in my country and a Hollywood star,” he said.

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“Bruce Lee was my hero when I was growing up,”  Alizada added. “I used to dream about him and of becoming a second Bruce Lee for my people.”

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Many sports were banned in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, and the lifting of the ban on TV and the spread of the internet has helped sports and martial arts become popular again.

Alizada, who has already racked up more than  30,000 Facebook and 50,000 Twitter fans, will be hoping that his sudden fame is not short-lived. He said he was glad of the chance to show a different side to his country: “I am happy that my story is a positive one.”

Check out the 20-year-old’s moves in this video from ODN:

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▼ “Me and Bruce Lee”

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Sources: kotaro269, Reuters
Images: Afghan Bruce Lee/Facebook
Related: Afghan Bruce Lee on Facebook, Twitter