As a country whose national sport is Football and sometimes boxing, skating and surfing might not attain national status or media hype but this has not stopped the members of Non-governmental organization, Surf Ghana in teaching the outdoor sports to Ghanaian kids.
A careful search on the website of sports council that does not list skateboarding as part of the recognized sports in the country. Despite the myriad of obstacles they may face including the lack of government funding, it’s doing what Napoleon could not do.
According to the biodata of the organization which we found on photo-sharing app Instagram, they’re described as “a skate and surf collective based in Ghana with a French flavor”. The is to promote the sights and sounds of Ghana in a new way.
“Surf Ghana aims to support and contribute to the easy access to Board-sports and practices for all Ghanaians. Our project is also to promote eco-citizen actions in Ghana for children, teenagers, and young adults,” it says on a Gofund me link to promote their skate tours
“The collective wants to use the practice of board sports as a stepping stone for education, social inclusion, empowerment of young people in the country.” it concludes.
What started as a small group of skaters and surfers three years ago has transcended into a community of lifestyle and culture enthusiasts providing assistance to one another and serving as a haven to inspire young people.
Since then, its provided skateboards and taught numerous people how to skateboard across the nation. 2018 alone saw them offer skating lessons to over 600 kids in different villages and towns in Ghana including Busua, Kwahu, Accra, Peki, Kumasi etc.
This year as the world celebrates the adrenaline-pumping sport of skateboarding on the 21st on June, the collective plans to launch another ambitious project; a first of its kind skate club for girls in Ghana.
With the help of women who are actively making it giant strides in their fields including fashion blogger Lharley Lartey, model, Anastasia Cobbinah, visual artist Kukua Foriwa, Neo Soul Singer, Ria Boss and Surf Ghana founder, Sandy, it plans to use the day to launch the project and its timetable.
“I worked with @surfghana on an incredible project!! An extremely important cause.” wrote Kuks, who is also a co-founder for the Boxed kids organization, in an Instagram post
“We gathered a couple of beautiful women who are actively making a difference in their various industries as skateboarding is celebrated around the world each year, on the 21st on June.”
Announcing the initiative on Instagram where it enjoys a lot of popularity, a statement read “Surf Ghana is overjoyed to announce the launching of a Skate Gal Club, the first Ghanaian skateboarding club for girls and women.”
It continued: “For the past 3 years, Surf Ghana which is a non-profit organisation has been working really hard to develop and grow skateboarding in Ghana.
We’ve provided skateboards and taught numerous people how to skateboard across the nation.
We are so excited to expand our collective with the launching of Skate Gal Club.”
Interestingly it failed to mention the location for the launch and rather encouraged interested persons to send a direct message for further info perhaps for fear of being ambushed or the grounds turning chaotic.
“Join us at the launch of the Skate Gal Club
on the 22nd! 12-6pm!! DM for location.
You could also purchase our exclusive limited teeshirt and skateboard deck!Want to be a member? DM for more details! We love you!” the statement concluded.
Fashion Blogger, Lharley Lartey whose post has gone viral and brought the world’s attention to project also explained her motive for lending her voice to the cause on the same platform.
“Girls, Women, this is our time! There is no limitations, we are fighters! We can do this! Let’s create a path and leave a legacy! We are here to inspire, educate, support, encourage, groom, give women a voice, empower and defy the stereotypes through sports.” she posited
With a population of close to 30 million people, girls in Ghana remain some of the most marginalized people through the use of culture and religion. A huge section of these girls are advised to take up what is considered “traditional roles” in the society and desist from what was tagged as a “truant lifestyle”.
Today, as debates on longstanding gender narratives and stereotyping continues around the world, its the opportune time for organizations such as the Girl’s Skate Club to use sports to inspire and amplify the potentials of Ghanaian girls. Who knows? Ghana’s first Olympic gold medal might come from one of these young women. And even if it does not happen, in the words of Surf Ghana “they are our superheroes”