Stylist and artistic director of the Louis Vuitton men’s collections, Virgil Abloh, who died at age 41 of cancer in November, had always continued to work in parallel for his Streetwear brand Off-White. It is in this capacity that he had helped finance the “Freedom Skate Park” in the Ghanaian capital of Accra which was inaugurated on Wednesday 15 December.
Five small figures, helmets on their heads, one foot on their skateboard, listen attentively to the advice of Joshua Odamtey. With arms outstretched, the man in the black cap demonstrates how to balance. And the children throw themselves forward, their gaze uncertain. The professor runs after them, under the amused eyes of dozens of amateurs and enthusiasts. In a hubbub of rollers, Ghana’s first skatepark comes to life.
Inaugurated in the heart of the Ghanaian capital of Accra, the “Freedom Skate Park” offers the young and dynamic community of skateboarders of this West African country a place to ride and jump in complete safety – away from sidewalks and street ramps. , until now the only playground for winter sports enthusiasts. The walls of the brand new skatepark are painted bright yellow, and in black letters, has been inscribed “Abloh was here”.
This son of Ghanaian immigrants who grew up in Chicago has never forgotten the West African country, for example showing on the Parisian catwalks some of his traditional fabrics, nor his passion for urban cultures. Next to Louis Vuitton, he always continued to work for his Streetwear brand Off-White. So when in 2017, Surf Ghana, a collective of skateboarders and surfers decides to launch a kitty on the internet to finance a skatepark, the creator immediately gets involved.
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“It’s not just about sport, we are also talking about boosting the self-confidence of young people, tourism and entrepreneurship.“, explains one of the founders of Surf Ghana, Sandy Alibo. The young people”connect and share ideas“Said the young woman in the yellow T-shirt.”Skateboarders make the city come alive because they keep people entertained and that’s what Ghana needs. “
Even though skateboarding is still little practiced there, she says she is impatient for her country to participate in international competitions. “Skateboarding was accepted at the Olympics and it can help develop the sport in Africa“, she says. On December 15th, nearly 300 young people carried out their first” tricks “(figures) standing on their skateboards. Some hope thus to achieve their dream: to become a professional skateboarder.
Because in addition to his creations, Virgil Abloh left a much richer legacy for many young Africans and African-Americans: he embodied a model, becoming the first great black designer recognized on the fashion scene, a world however very not very inclusive. And shown that anything is possible, on a podium, or on wheels.