If someone had told Harmonie Bataka that she would one day meet the Vice President of the United States, she would not have believed it. "Never, never, never!" said the young Ghanaian, laughing. Even less if someone had suggested to her that she would owe it to her life's passion, which she had cultivated against the prejudices of those around her: skateboarding.
Visiting Ghana at the end of March, Kamala Harris did, however, interrupt her political agenda for a moment to make a detour to Accra's Freedom skatepark, the headquarters of an increasingly active scene at the crossroads of sports, urban cultures and entrepreneurship. An environment where women, like Harmonie, have found their place despite traditions and prejudices.
"It's not natural to be a skater girl in Ghana and originally, my parents would have dreamed of me becoming a doctor or a lawyer. But today, they see that this is how I manage to fulfill myself and have amazing experiences," said the 28-year-old who has been teaching at the skatepark since it opened at the end of 2021. It is also here that she was able to meet the African-American rapper Kendrick Lamar, who came to spend some time with the Accra boarders during a trip in 2022.
Bringing a feminine touch
The first of its kind in West Africa – two others are expected to open soon in Senegal and Nigeria – the 500 m2 space in the heart of Ghana's capital was built by the NGO Wonders Around the World and supported by Virgil Abloh, former men's artistic director of Louis Vuitton, who died in 2021. The Ghanaian-born designer, who pioneered high-end streetwear with his Off-White collection, contributed funding and designed the logo. The walls of the skatepark continue to pay tribute to him with the inscription "Virgil was here" in black letters on a yellow background.
If the skateboard park exists today, it is also and especially thanks to the pugnacity of the Surf Ghana collective, founded by Sandy Alibo, a Frenchwoman of Martinique origin. This former Sosh sports sponsorship manager, who has been living in the country for six years, has been working hard to develop the surfing culture, while trying to bring a feminine touch to it. Globally, just 24% of skateboarders are women, according to statistics from the research firm Grand View Research. The imbalance is even more visible in West Africa where skateboarding remains a niche sport.
"When I first started here, it was an all-male world," Alibo said. "I told women they were welcome, but we had to find ways for them to overcome their shyness and try it themselves." One such initiative was the creation of the Skate Gal club in 2019 – Gal for "girl" as it is known in Ghanaian pidgin. As soon as the skatepark opened, one day a week – Thursdays – was set aside for them.
Taking care of bodies and strengthening bonds
This April morning, while a sound system is playing a continuous stream of Afrobeat, a dozen of them are launching themselves off the ramps. These newcomers, students in a center dedicated to street children, Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS), were offered a training session a bit like a personal development course. After listening carefully to the coach's instructions, some of them try some basic tricks. The tricks – stylish maneuvers by the riders – are only at the draft stage, but the pleasure is obvious.
"I feel so free. I wish I could come back every week," said Cynthia Gidisu, her face dripping with sweat under her hard hat. The sun is beating down hard, but that didn't deter the baking apprentice from trying her hand at an "ollie" (jumping with the board). "I would never have dared in front of boys," she said in front of her classmates.
"On other days, the field is saturated. It's hard to get started if you're not comfortable but between women, it's different. There is no competition," said Harmonie from the skatepark premises, converted that day into a hairdressing salon for a program of hair therapy. Various workshops are organized every Thursday, to take care of bodies and to strengthen relationships.
'Confidence in myself as a woman'
Sarah Niarko, 25 years old, gives herself up to the hairdresser's hands. This other kingpin of the skatepark contemplates her reflection in the mirror with circumspection, but she doesn't hesitate for a second when asked what the "deck" has brought her: "Confidence in myself as a woman. And professional opportunities. The philosophy of skateboarding is 'do it yourself'." Before, she worked in a restaurant, but didn't enjoy it. Now, she teaches skateboarding and dreams of being an entrepreneur in the building and furnishing industry.
And why not Olympic champion? At the Paris Games in 2024, skateboarding will make its entry as an official sport alongside climbing, surfing and breakdancing, after being inducted as an additional sport in Tokyo in 2021. It is a discipline in which Africa is currently weakly represented. Only three of the 80 skaters who participated in the Tokyo Olympics came from the continent. Could the Freedom Skatepark in Accra help grow the stars of tomorrow? "It won't be for us and not this time," Harmonie said, "but some of our students are already dreaming about it."