Morzine Source Summer 19 ISSUU

40
www.morzinesourcemagazine.com
“I think young
people can change
the world, but
they’ve got to be
invested in”
And so Skateistan was born. It started out
with just Ollie running small skate sessions in
different locations around Kabul, but it quickly
grew into something far bigger. “If it were just
boys who were interested, I don’t think I would
have really pushed it to that next level, but
the fact that it was girls… I thought that was
something very exciting.”
Ollie gave girls more time on the board than
the boys and the girls quickly became better
skaters. “It’s a very simple scenario – more
It’s open five days a week and holds specific
girls’ days, where all-female educators and
role models work with girls in a safe, culturally
appropriate space. It’s one of the few places
in Kabul a girl can go to ride a bike.
Today, around 50% of Skateistan’s students
are female. But Skateistan doesn’t just provide
a safe outlet for girls. It’s brought together
young people from Afghanistan’s many
different ethnic and social backgrounds.
“In Afghanistan, there can often be tension
between some of the different ethnic groups.”
Explains Ollie. “Yet within this group they
had a new shared identity, and that was as
skateboarders. It didn’t really matter that they
came from different backgrounds. When that
happened, it was a point where I could see a
future for Afghanistan.”
At the time, girls doing sport and kids of
different ethnic backgrounds coming together
just wasn’t happening in Afghanistan. So what
As a foreigner it was important for Ollie to
develop mutual respect with the kids he worked
with in order to let the organisation grow
organically. He shared his love of skateboarding
with them, and in return they shared their culture
with him, from family and friendship to practical
advice after a suicide bombing. But what’s
always been at the forefront of Skateistan’s
development, Ollie believes, is that, “It had to be
Afghans solving Afghan problems.” Throughout
its 11-year history, all of Skateistan’s skate
instructors, educators and volunteers are local
people rather than outsiders.
“There’s a real danger in development where
the rich see themselves as the saviours of the
poor and that doesn’t work in the long term.”
He explains. “It’s not coming from a place of
respect. It’s saying, ‘we’ve got the money, so
we’ll now tell you what to do’.”
2010 - Finding features everywhere
in the early days of skateistan
© Jake Simkin
time on the board equals more practice
and opportunity. And if girls aren’t given
opportunity in a whole lot of different areas
then boys will take that space”.
But it wasn’t just about skateboarding.
While a lot of money was being put into the
international development of Afghanistan
at the time, barely any of it was reaching
low-income kids, and over half the population
were younger than 15. “I think young people
can change the world, but they’ve got to be
invested in,” Ollie believes. So he set about
providing a fun, safe space for young people
in Kabul, using skateboarding as the hook
to encourage kids to learn. And it worked.
In 2009 Skateistan built Afghanistan’s first
ever indoor skate park, which also houses
classrooms, a sports hall and a climbing wall.
was it about skateboarding that was changing
things?
Skateboarding provided a level playing field;
boys and girls, everyone was starting from
scratch. Plus, skating is accessible, it’s
reasonably cheap, you can do it anywhere
and as Ollie says, “Skateboarding is just really
fun.” But in Afghanistan, its status as a new
activity was a totally unique opportunity. “I
tried to keep in the background as much as
possible,” Ollie explains. “It was very important
that [skating] wasn’t viewed as a new culture
taking over, or threatening the culture in
Afghanistan in any way, so I didn’t show any
magazines or fashion or videos. I wanted
a new culture to emerge for skateboarding
in Afghanistan because I knew that was
something that could then take root.”
It all circles back around. “For something to
work into a relationship and so it can grow,
there has to be communication and there
has to be respect. There has to be listening
from both sides. That’s something that was
very much part of how Skateistan started and
that’s the way we’ve continued to go.”
“it was a point
where I could
see a future for
Afghanistan”
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