Cezar Takeyoshi Ikehara, 50, is a long way from his Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Dubai.
He is at an orphanage on the outskirts of Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, but is totally at home.
Mr Ikehara’s academy in Motor City has a Zen vibe and is an oasis of calm. The floor is lined with white mats, the walls with Japanese paintings and there are potted plants throughout.
In Harare he is using old judo mats laid out on a football pitch, surrounded by uncut grass and bordered by rusty, net-less goalposts.
In Dubai he trains bankers, investors, computer programmers and traders. In Harare he is training orphans, many of them left parentless by the HIV epidemic that has swept the country.
“Jiu-jitsu is amazing,” says Mr Ikehara, a Brazilian who has called the Emirates home for the last eight years.
“Look how happy the kids are and look at how it connects us.”
A ticket out
Mr Ikehara, a black belt and former world champion, has come to Zimbabwe with the sole purpose of using jiu-jitsu to empower orphans.
The next world champion could come from Zimbabwe. There is so much enthusiasm here, it’s incredible
Cezar Takeyoshi Ikeharara,
Jiu Jitsu instructor
“This has brought me back twenty years,” says Mr Ikehara who, before moving to the Emirates, used to run a charity project in his native Brazil, teaching jiu-jitsu in the favelas.
“Today kids from that project are teaching and competing all over the world,” he says.
“When I teach the kids, I tell them a black belt is a passport to the world, they can go anywhere.”
Mr Ikehara first moved to the Emirates to train the nation’s military, but it is clear his gift is in connecting with children. Boys and girls, ranging in age from 4 to 19, crowd around him and hang on his every word. Even though many don’t speak English they are drawn by his enthusiasm and passion.
“I give my heart to teach you,” Mr Ikehara says at one of the sessions.
“I promise you I will do my best to keep coming back.
“We [jiu-jitsu] are a family. We teach discipline, respect and community. We all help each other.”
Finding a better path
In Brazil Mr Ikehara helped steer children away from a life of crime. In the favelas drugs, gangs and violence are a way of life. He saw how jiu-jitsu could give children purpose, resilience, opportunity and community.
While Zimbabwe doesn’t have the same gang and crime problems that Brazil has, the southern African country does have its own difficulties. More than a quarter of all children under 18 in Zimbabwe aren’t living with either parent, most of them have been abandoned or orphaned, figures compiled by Unicef show.
Many of those orphaned have lost parents to Aids. Zimbabwe has an HIV infection rate of about 12 per cent, one of the highest in the world.
To start his sessions Mr Ikehara picks the smallest child and asks them to perform the ‘balloon sweep’, a move in which they have to throw the 85kg Brazilian over their shoulders and into a forward roll. He calls it the ‘superhero’; it builds immediate trust and breaks the ice. The children clap as Mr Ikehara falls to the mat, slapping his hand down loudly as he breaks his fall.
A broad smile crosses his face. “With jiu-jitsu anything is possible," he says.
"What is so perfect about it is that it engages the body and the mind. Whenever I am stressed, I do jiu-jitsu, it is my Prozac.”
A way out of grief
Mr Ikehara knows the healing power of jiu-jitsu after it helped him to cope with the death of his son.
“I was happy in Brazil, I had my own academy, my own house and never thought about leaving.”
When his son died, aged 13, he stopped jiu-jitsu for a year and became depressed. When he returned to the sport, he found it helped with the pain. It was also the death of his son that led to him leaving Brazil and ultimately ending up visiting Zimbabwe.
“I know jiu-jitsu can help,” he says, “It helped me.”
While Mr Ikehara is only in Zimbabwe for a week, he spends time training local teachers so they can carry on his work after he has left. His dream is to build a non-profit school in Harare where disadvantaged children can train for free.
“The next world champion could come from Zimbabwe,” he says, “There is so much enthusiasm here, it’s incredible.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Match statistics
Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85
Eagles
Try: Bailey
Pen: Carey
Exiles
Tries: Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3
Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Mountain%20Boy
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MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
