Freedom Skate Park: Ghana’s Very First Skate Park — A Collaboration between Surf Ghana, Virgil Abloh, Daily Paper and Limbo Accra

Surf Ghana​, a collective dedicated to galvanize the burgeoning skateboard scene in Ghana, is pleased to announce the construction of Freedom Skate Park, the country’s ​very first fully functional skate park in the heart of Accra. One of ​only 10 skate parks in all of Africa, Freedom Skate Park plans to begin construction in the first quarter of 2021 and open later that year — and, with help from Virgil Abloh, Daily Paper ​and ​Limbo Accra​, usher in a new day in African sport and creative life.

 

A Skate Park About More than Just Skateboarding

 

As more than just a simple skate ramp, Freedom Skate Park will include coaching programs, a Wi-Fi cafe, the country’s very first skate shop, and a co-working space to help young Ghanaians access job opportunities and creative possibilities in an environment that promotes inclusivity. It is Accra’s first recreational centre, nestled in the heart of one of Accra’s trendiest neighborhoods to be a wonderful chance to develop sustainable tourism through skateboarding.

The initiative has been nurtured by Surf Ghana since its inception and will set hard-earned achievements permanently in stone. Because of the sport’s relatively recent popularity in the country, Ghana has not had the infrastructure necessary for a functioning skate community to fully thrive — now it will.

 

Photo by Arinze Patrick

 

A Sustainable, Innovative, Afro-Utopian Vision

 

Design studio Limbo Accra is on hand for creative direction as the architectural lead, with a mission to “deliver afro-utopian spatial justice for all,” an urban ecosystem in harmony with its local population. Limbo Accra’s core goals of sustainable, redistributive, and community-led development are all met with Freedom Skate Park; challenging Ghana’s urban development sector to embrace models that create meaningful opportunities for the youth through novel architectural designs.

 

Spatial Design Studio Limbo Accra

 

Job creation will be paramount, as the overseeing of the site will be entrusted to local professionals. The Skate Park made also in partnership with Wonders Around the World (WAW) and Space Accra, will be furnished with basic social and skate amenities to ensure the complex excels in high performance on a global stage. The construction will be executed by highly skilled local artisans, incorporating locally sourced and recycled materials.

 

A Collaboration Between Global Diasporic Visionaries

 

Surf Ghana is proud to announce its partnership with the Amsterdam based clothing brand Daily Paper, who has designed a capsule collection with 100% of the proceeds going to the construction of the skatepark​. In addition to this main collection, Daily Paper and Virgil Abloh have collaborated on an exclusive Daily Paper x Off-White™ t-shirt to commemorate this momentous occasion and fundraise for the construction of the park. The capsule collection will make its debut at Daily Paper’s pop-up store in Accra, Ghana on December 21 with a global release to follow on dailypaperclothing.com on January 15, 2021.

 

Photo by Arinze Patrick

 

The collaboration will kick off at Daily Paper’s pop-up store in Accra, Ghana on the 21st of December where Daily Paper will go into conversation with Surf Ghana’s founder ​Sandy Alibo​, co-director ​Joshua Odamtten and Limbo Accra’s founder ​Dominique Petit Frère​. Co-hosted by Stories of Young- founder Ashlee Janelle, they will discuss the collaboration with Daily Paper, the initiatives of Surf Ghana, and the unveiling of the skate park as a defining moment. Another highlight is the premiering of a limited edition Daily Paper and Off-White™ designed Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that will be gifted in the pop-up for the first visitors.

With this initiative, we hope to evolve the skate culture in Ghana to the next level and give locals a platform to grow their talents within a space that will hopefully become their biggest training ground to date. More than board sports, the park will be a creative hub for young Ghanaians to come together, exchange ideas, inspire each other and build their futures through recreational activities. They now have a place where they can be themselves, freely develop their skills together with likeminded people and reach their true potential. Hence the name Freedom Skatepark.’ – Jefferson Osei, Co-Founder of Daily Paper. 

Virgil Abloh’s design firm Alaska Alaska created the Freedom Skatepark logo and will contribute to the design of some spatial elements of the skate park.

The original action sports brand Vans is also honored to contribute to the future skateboarding program of the skatepark seeking to grow participation of skateboarding in Africa. The icon of creative expression will support the initiative to inspire the culture and values of skateboarding onto the global stage.

A New Sport Ecosystem

Since 2016, Surf Ghana’s core mission has been to offer easy access to board sports for youth across Ghana. Presently, the ever-growing community of active skateboarders has created an ecosystem that supports well-being, creativity, and entrepreneurship that is all 100% Made in Ghana. This is a project for us — by us. The collective aims to use the inclusiveness of board sports as a bridge to urban sports life for Ghana’s most marginalized local population.

 

Photo by Arinze Patrick

 

Surf Ghana also wishes to encourage the space as a training ground for Ghana’s possible inclusion in the skateboarding category of the 2024 Olympic Games. The construction of Freedom Skate Park will solidify the growth of board sports in Ghana, and help the youth participate in creative activities that build confidence, self-esteem, and provide a valuable platform for self-expression.

 

About Surf Ghana

Surf Ghana collective is a social platform founded in 2016 by Sandy Alibo and registered as a non-profit and non-governmental organization. The collective aims to use the practice of board sports as a driver for education, social inclusion, and empowerment for the youth, curating events, and sports experiences provided by specialized instructors. With a total of 25 active members, the collective contributes to action sports as instructors, documentary filmmakers, photographers, carpenters, 3D designers, writers, and artists. The collective plans to train members to lead a consistent and safe skateboarding program in the future skate park.

@surfghana

 

 

Photo by Arinze Patrick

 

If you wish to get further information regarding Freedom Skate Park and donate click here 

Melissa Alibo

Raised between Paris and the rest of the world, Melissa likes to define herself as a contemporary nomad. Less routine, more life is her motto. Curiosity has always driven her desire to explore new environments, cultures, and ways of life.