Skateistan Rolling in Kabul
Challenging both local precepts and foreign tanks, Skateistan is giving Afghan kids the chance to roll on four small wheels.
More like this...
In January 2002, an English skate magazine ran an article called ‘The New Beats’, about the phenomenon of Barcelona’s then status as global skate Mecca. The piece argues that skaters alone were the true inheritors of the beatnik philosophy of Kerouac and Ginsberg: young bohemians with a taste for travel, danger, enrichment and excitement. The pre-eminent figure among them was and remains Kenny Reed. Known universally by the sobriquet ‘Traveller’, and with a passport so full his government had to stitch a fourteen-page insert into the centre, Reed is the most widely travelled skater of his or any generation. From Belfast to Papua New Guinea, via Peru or the Russian Caucasus, there is barely a skate scene in the world today which Kenny has not dropped in on. One notable exception remained: the land of the Afghans. Occasionally, late at night when we had both been shown too much of the grape, Kenny would secretly declare his intention of seeking out the Afghan skate scene. Then a few months ago I was approached by a girl with news from a project called Skateistan, a skate school in the capital of Kabul which takes urban youth and the children of the internally displaced and teaches them to view life through another prism. In turn, I reached out to Kenny, but Kenny was already gone. HUCK tracked him down as he stepped off a return flight for a de-briefing.
HUCK: At what point did the loose idea of skating Afghanistan turn into you strapping boards together and sticking your passport in the old back pocket again?
KENNY REED: I was talking with a few of the guys who run Skateistan in Kabul and they mentioned a project in the works involving a documentary film about living and skating in Afghanistan. When they asked me if I would be interested in coming to visit with a few other international pros I was really excited, and they asked for advice on who I thought might be interested in coming along. They wanted an international group involving pros from different countries, a girl skater, and also someone from a country in the Middle East or the Arabian peninsula. From there I contacted about ten different people and tried to find out who would be interested.
How did you get into Kabul?
At first, we were a bit worried as we thought we would have had to be interviewed. But as luck would have it, we found out we could get an invitation from the Afghan Olympic committee before applying for our visas. Once we had that, it was no problem at all. It took about twenty-four hours from that point.
So what’s the project all about?
It’s a group of people who are skateboarders in Kabul who saw an opportunity to start a programme teaching kids to skate and giving them a place to go where it’s safe and where they can play with other kids. There is nothing else like it in Afghanistan and I think it’s a very positive influence on the community. For example, in Kabul there are many different ethnicities and skateboarding there, like anywhere else, is meant to be fun and indifferent of age, ethnic background or gender.
What did you see of life in Kabul beyond the skate school?
When I had free time I would ride up into the hills and look around the neighbourhoods for skate spots… trying to blend in and wearing the traditional dress. It’s then that you get to feel anonymous and alone, feeling out the areas and street life in Kabul.
Did you see any potential in the kids you skated with there?
Yeah! The kids improved fast: even from after the first day we arrived we noticed a difference. After about a week some of the kids who were barely ollieing were landing kickflips.
Where was the heavy military presence most notable: Kabul or Jerusalem?
Oh, Kabul for sure. When we were skating in the streets we had the turrets of American tanks turned and pointed at us, following us as they passed.
What are your thoughts on the Western military presence there?
I think the people want peace and a life without so many guns around.
Did you come back with a sense of hope about the place?
I did. I can’t wait to go back and skate with the kids and see friends again. Afghanistan is a really special place, and right now it’s important to be involved with projects like this which are really making a difference. Plus, there’s some tricks I didn't get to land the last time.
To read the full interview check out HUCK#017, out now.
Subscribe to HUCK for six issues
Only £20 (UK) / £43 (EU) / £58 (Rest of the World).
Skateistan (text) by Niall Neeson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Add Your Comment...
Please note: Your comment may be held in moderation for approval by an administrator to prevent spamming. This usually doesn't take long, please be patient.