Photographer: Yann Gross (Kitintale skates)

A story about the first skateboarders in Uganda, how some youngsters were

influenced by a game they saw on TV and decided to construct themselves the

only skatepark of East Africa in Kitintale, a working class suburb of Kampala,

since there wasn’t any concrete around.

With no assistance from government or large NGO’s, kids from Uganda took

significant steps to overcome boredom and poverty throught skateboarding.

Built from the bottom up, the grassroots construction of the first skatepark engender

a sense of pride and empowerment in the community of Kitintale.

By learning how to skate, the kids developped a sense of belonging to a community

and realized a dream. Skateboarding keeps the youth busy and combats the

developement of negative habits.

The elder skateboarders became also kind of educators. They talk about the

problems that many Ugandan families are facing like HIV or malaria and try to

inculcate values such as respect and solidarity among the younger skaters.

http://www.yanngross.com

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