“Skating is universal,” says Sandy Alibo, founder of the Surf Ghana Collective.
Behind a wrought iron gate in northern Accra, Ghana, sits the first skate park in West Africa. Loud music thumps from the Vibrate Skatehouse and recording studio designed and funded by Kendrick Lamar and Spotify.
In the courtyard, a team of French skaters and employees from the Surf Ghana Collective, work to build ramps and ledges for an upcoming competition. The courtyard is just a concrete pad with a few scattered handrails, but for the crew of Ghanaian skaters who make a daily pilgrimage to the space, it’s so much more than that.
Skating was slow to gain traction in West Africa. Despite recent grassroots efforts in smaller DIY parks, skaters have been struggling to find community. That was until 2021, when the Surf Ghana Collective broke ground on a state-of-the-art park - the Freedom Skatepark. Boasting over 500 meters of stenciled-yellow concrete, Freedom Park features corners begging to be aired, and gaps haunted by Dashawn’s laser flips. The design was done in collaboration with the late Virgil Abloh, and the logo, clothing, and graphics all bear his mark.
Skaters like Kalven, Adrys, and Tiny all have found community at the skatepark. Tiny is 27 now, but when she graduated from university, she felt disenfranchised by the work she was doing. Tiny picked up skating in 2018, and quickly found a community of like-minded young women at the Surf Ghana Collective. The organization is fully women-run, and their mission beyond “Together We Do More” is to empower young women through skating and surfing. Tiny joined the SkateGal club in 2019, a club that she says, “give(s) women a safe space where they can progress at their own pace, build their confidence, and also have fun.” Since 2021 she’s been working and skating at the Freedom Park for the Collective. She’ll tell you that her favorite trick is a nollie front shove - and she’s damn good at it.
Just three years after the grand opening, the skatepark is empty. Without warning, an international landowner reclaimed the lot with the skatepark, violating the lease agreement eight years early and constructing a crude wall that separates the park from the Surf Ghana Skatehouse. Dirt has been moved onto the concrete, and any daring skateboarders are forcibly removed by a ragtag security team.
Despite this setback, the Ghanaian skate scene continues to flourish. Monday through Sunday, you can spectate intense games of skate and lively recording sessions at the Vibrate studio. The bright yellow walls of the courtyard are covered in nostalgic photos of skaters, artists, and creatives who have all left their mark on the park. It’s still lively, and as founder Sandy Alibo said, “It still acts as a place for the community to gather.”
If you talk to Alibo, she’s quick to make it known that Skatehouse and the Freedom Skatepark isn’t just for skaters. It’s a collective - somewhere for the youth to gather and conversate - all revolving around skateboarding. “Skating is universal,” says Alibo. Despite challenges - economic or otherwise, the space created provides an avenue for expression and direction, a necessity in a place where young people tend to get, “lost.”
Kalven started skating two years ago. He’s still in university, but the skatepark provides an escape. “Skating means everything to me - apart from family and friends it’s the only thing I have got, it’s part of my life now and I’m not planning on ever quitting. Skateboarding has had a great impact on my life with the friends it has given me, and I always say I’m blessed to be around these kind of people. It’s always good vibes and motivation from them. Skateboarding has also taught me that nothing is impossible.” Adrys, a Congolese skater living and skating in Ghana for the last 15 years, added “Skating translates to your whole life. You gotta just learn how to pick yourself back up after a slam.” Growing up in Accra, this crew faces a lot of adversity. “Life is hard here,” says Alibo. Skating does two things; first, it provides an avenue for self expression and a sense of belonging; Guys like Joni have found their second home in the Accra skate community. “50% of my friends in life, I’ve met through skating. With Surf Ghana and the opportunities it has provided, I feel a bit closer to my dream of being a pro-skater. Being involved in skating at all in Africa is rare, so I’m incrediby grateful.” Secondly, the challenges that skating presents are practice for the future - that’s why it’s so important to ensure these opportunities remain accessible to a broader community.
The construction of the wall to close the Freedom Skatepark was just a setback. It’s not the end for the Surf Ghana Collective. Like Alibo said, the collective is so much more than a skatepark. Vibrate Studio is booked out, and in the past three years, there have been over 1000 recording sessions. Fashion designers and artists like Mr. Bangerz and Riot Radio’s Cyril hang around the park, brainstorming, producing, and promoting their art.
Alibo and Surf Ghana’s aspirations are lofty. “There is no limit to how far we can take this,” says Alibo. During the two years the Freedom Skatepark was open, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, and Kamala Harris all made visits to the park, coined the “center of youth culture,” in Ghana. The idea behind the collective was proven during the initial years. Now, it is about getting it back to where it was, and taking it to new levels entirely. In order to do this, Alibo says that, “We need to bring people out to Accra who can teach our crew how to do more. If it’s skating, photography, bowl design, or music production, it doesn’t matter. If people have something to offer, we’ll welcome them into the community.”
This already is happening. In the lead-up to a Surf Ghana skate competition on October 12th, 2024, a team of three skaters from Board Spirit Marseille (BSM) arrived in Accra to build new features, including ramps and ledges. In the spirit of Surf Ghana, rather than build and leave, the team from BSM taught the local crew how to build their own features for the future. Additionally, the Skate Ghana collective always is in search of donations to take the team to the next level. It takes investment, but there is undeniable talent in Ghana, and if Alibo and her team can accomplish what they hope, the Surf Ghana Collective will only continue to improve, grow, and inspire.
