Challenges won't stop the Skate Gal Club: How a group of African female skateboarders are using their "can-do-spirit" 

As the sun sets over Ghana's capital Accra, the air is filled with giggles and chuckles, a clear sign of how eagerly a group of local ladies have been anticipating their weekly dose of skateboarding on a Thursday.

Ciarra, Favor, Edith, Hameeda, and Harmonie, affectionately known as Blu, and the leader of the Skate Gal Club, are among those busy trying to figure out how to drape fairy lights across the Surf Ghana premises, adjacent to the Freedom Skatepark.

They are preparing for an event they’ll be hosting on Saturday, aptly named “Skate Night” – a multifaceted evening that combines an album listening session with the unmistakable rumbles of skateboards. Under the night skies, skaters will showcase their skills, performing tricks like the ollie, kickflip, and shuvit, as the energy of those in attendance comes alive.

A Community for Conquering Fears

“Community” is the bedrock of the Skate Gal club. Through that, many girls have been inspired to pursue dreams they otherwise might have shied away from due to self-doubt.

“I discovered skating”, Favor begins, “...during one family vacation in Ghana. I saw a group of guys skateboarding and I loved the sense of community and family they vibrated across.”

“The Skate Gal Club community has been truly empowering and it has actually given me a voice and helped with my confidence, Mainly because, as girls, we are taught to shrink ourselves and not have an opinion, but this community has proven otherwise,” Favor elaborates, on how seeing women learn skills resiliently is nothing but inspiring and motivates her.

Founded in 2019 by Sandy Alibo and Kuukua Eshun, the Skate Gal Club serves as a platform for women to connect through skateboarding, while providing safe spaces to address issues of women's empowerment.

Ciarra, who is a yoga teacher, joined the club in 2024 and loves how much she has learned to overcome her fears by mastering skills. “Skating has always been cool to me and ever since I joined the club I feel at home. Although I am a beginner with a fear of heights, they treat me with love and [encourage] what to do right,” she added.

A Beyond the Board study conducted by USC reported how skate communities help young people feel safer and less judged. Women-led meetups have played a significant role in shedding the shyness many girls and women face when they skate on their own.

Edith, a student, and one of the members of the Skate Gal club, shared how she used to skate only with guys after one of her coursemates introduced her to the sport. Being intrigued by skateboarding, “I asked him to teach me how to move and stuff and from there we started skating around campus.

"I kind of felt out of place in the sense that I didn’t see a lot of people skating [in Ghana] so I wasn’t sure if I would find a community, but I didn’t feel different in any way. I loved the sense of freedom and direction skating gave me and I stuck to it”

The camaraderie and sisterhood at the Skate Gal Club is woven into the support they show while teaching each other new skills, and for the beginners, holding them to avoid falling. Many of the girls are involved in the art world which spans music, videography, and photography, and feeds more into the club they are creating.

The vision of Sandy Alibo, founder of Surf Ghana and its subsidiaries, including the Skate Gal Club, was simply to facilitate the development of skateboarding in Ghana. This segued into the dream of creating West Africa’s first purpose-built skatepark right in the heart of Accra.

The rise and fall of Freedom Skatepark

The Freedom Skatepark was Ghana’s first purpose-built facility for the sport. It was crowdfunded, and supported by influential personalities like the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh. The park was officially launched in 2021 and has hosted global icons including Kendrick Lamar, Idris Elba, and the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

The tide turned in 2023 when the skatepark was forced to close due to a land litigation battle.

“When the skatepark was destroyed, I’m not going to lie, I cried,” Blu, the leader of the club told Olympics.com.

“It was like, how can you put so much work into something and see it destroyed in one day?” she added.

The Skate Gal Club meet every Thursday to teach girls from diverse backgrounds and of all ages how to skate. The skatepark was a perfect location.

For Hameeda, a 25-year-old videographer who has been skating since High School, the closure of the skatepark affected her interest in the sport. “As soon as the skatepark was closed down, I didn’t skate for a very long time. And this went on for more than three months. We no longer have our skatepark which felt like a safe space.”

In the face of adversity, the club was committed to making their community of girls still functional.

Practising on busy roads and pavements isn't ideal for honing their skills, so following the closure they had little choice but to set up portable skate ramps on the small area in front of the Surf Ghana premises.

“When the park was available, it was amazing because we had an actual park to skate. What happened afterward was tragic, but anyways, it has happened and it was out of our control. What matters is the ‘Can-do-spirit we possess’ Nanna, a member of the club tells Olympics.com.

Olympic Dreams… Possible not Easy

Skateboarding debuted as an Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, marking a significant moment for the urban sport community.

Male and female athletes showcased their remarkable talents again three years later during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. For African girls, Boipelo Awuah made history by becoming the first female skateboarder from the continent to compete in both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, setting a new benchmark for future generations.

This is an achievement the Skate Gal Club aspires to replicate. Several skateboarders from Surf Ghana were able to practise on the Olympic skatepark in Paris ahead of the 2024 Games, but for a woman from Ghana to qualify for Los Angeles 2028, the skaters believe would be a tough task.

Hameeda, who once aspired to become a professional skateboarder, believes Ghanaian girls rarely engage in competitive skateboarding because of the lack of infrastructure and the absence of dedicated skateparks or competitions.

“I also feel like we need a good camp for the skateboarders in Ghana.” Hameeda adds, also underscoring the progress made by countries like South Africa, where the availability of numerous skateparks has significantly contributed to the development of the sport.

The risk of injury and availability of healthcare and treatment options is also a barrier, with skateboarders sometimes hesitant from attempting the most difficult tricks as a result.

Blu, the leader of Skate Gal Club, believes the younger generation is better suited for the challenge, following in the footsteps of Olympic medallists including Yoshizawa Coco, Momiji Nishiya, Akama Liz, Rayssa Leal, Nakayama Funa, Arisa Trew, Yosozumi Sakura, Hiraki Kokona, and Sky Brown. "I just want to put it out there that committing to this kind of training will not be easy, but if anyone is willing to be trained at that level, I’m more than willing to help," she adds.

It's the can-do-spirit, the supportive environment of a skate community to encourage participation and skill development, that hopes to ensure that the spirit of skating continues to thrive among women in Ghana.