Max CARPIN, co founder of KAIASSE

“Our culture is our engine. Our tradition is the wave we rode on. We want to create social cohesion and social unity in our country. Thanks to what we teach to all the young people who come to us, they can be proud of themselves in knowing about their culture and traditions, and by respecting their ancestors.”

MAX BAREGE CARPIN is the co-founder of KAIASSE, and has collaborated with Jean Claude Calimoutou to build the association into the success it is today. While Jean Claude is the chief instructor of martial arts, Max is the manager and administrator of the organization. He deals with the association’s public relations and communications, he handles its international affairs, arranges the tournaments and the events, negotiates with other parties and translates for KAIASSE’s members. He is always on the move, and sees all of the association’s needs.

He describes himself as the “intellectual” and the “politician” of the group while making air quotes in jest. Explaining the nature of the association, he says that: “Thanks to Jean Claude, KAIASSE is a very big organization and I follow him where he goes, so it is friendship first, it is a big family.”

A man of many pursuits, Max was also the Director of Communications and Environment of his community, dealing with sustainable development on an environmental and cultural basis. His extensive travels have made him a true multicultural citizen of the world. He brings his abilities and awareness to KAIASSE, aiding the association in promoting the culture of Reunion because, in his own words, it is “what is ours and always in our luggage, we bring our culture wherever we go in the world.”

He firmly believes that everyone needs to be involved in perpetuating tradition, remembering their history and heritage, and engaging in cultural exchange. These are the reasons why KAIASSE’s members travel to the Philippines to train in arnis while sharing their culture and the art of moringue wherever they go.