by Craig Chapman
The Uganda Skateboard Union is a group of kids that just wanted to skate, so they made it happen. They have a true, raw passion and love for the sport in its most simple form and have since spawned some incredible skaters from their brick and mortar beginnings.
After meeting a skateboarder from Europe, 27 yo Ugandan Jackson Mubiru set out to build Uganda's first skate park. With the help of a group of kids from his community, they were able to gather scraps of the materials needed to build their first ramp.
Since these humble beginnings they have continued to grow and introduce the sport of skateboarding to Uganda. Skateboarding is very rare in East Africa "The first time I saw someone skateboard was on TV," said Mubiru. "At the beginning there were only 5 guys, but it is steadily growing."
Uganda is mostly a rural country and even in the cities roads are normally dirt and ones that are paved have potholes. Building something like a skate park was unheard of and creating the architecture of a skate park proved challenging. Mubiru and his friends started from scratch and had to improvise as they went along. "It's the first of its kind in this part of the world. Not even Kenya has one," boasted Mubiru proudly. They used left over bricks and bought cheap mortar to build the first park.
They created the park in a suburb of Uganda's capital Kampala. Since building this first skate park they have received a worldwide outreach of skate companies willing to help by donating materials, equipment, and money and sponsoring skate competitions in the country. "We get donations from all over the world. Uganda’s skateboarding team has grown to over 50 young Ugandans.” Which is where the Union now stands.
Mubiru's dream is to, "Promote the sport all over Uganda and maybe even all across East Africa." With the success of the Union so far, it is undoubted that we will begin to see many pro-skaters coming out of Uganda soon. Nothing molds a skater’s style more than the pure love and passion for skating!
You can learn more by visiting www.ugandaskateboardunion.org and you can watch a two part documentary on the Uganda Skateboard Union here on LX-Goods.com:
