Video and Words by Nnamdi Ihekwoaba
Photos by Nnamdi Ihekwoaba, Imoh Ekasi-Otu, Max Brothers, Daniel Ogbogu, Okis Dennis, and Julie Bassey
The first leg of the tour was Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Interestingly, it reminded us of Washington DC, the capital of the United States, with its embassies and large government buildings. While hilly and more spread out, Abuja had its own laid back energy. We spent three days in Abuja. During that time, we skated the streets and held a jam. Some of the best clips we got were from that first night’s street session, fresh off the plane. After skating street, we set up a demo the following day, where we gave out Shape, New Balance, and Skating Is Risky products. We spent one more day skating and then headed to Uyo state. The town was much smaller, but filled with passion. Skaters from Port Harcourt and other nearing areas traveled to skate and hang out.
There was a marble plaza in Uyo that we spent the entire day at. All the locals came out, and the session was popping. We all connected with each other through skateboarding. Our last stop of the tour was Lagos, one of the biggest cities in West Africa, with over 21 million people. Lagos Is the heartbeat of West Africa. When we first arrived, we got settled and headed straight to WAF skatepark, the first skatepark and skateshop in Nigeria. Partnering with WAF, Skating Is Risky, and New Balance, we held a collaborative jam where we gave out product for best tricks, held skate lessons, and simply skated together. Africa is the future in skateboarding, with so much untapped potential.
The aim of Shape Skate Foundation is to share skateboarding within African communities and build a bridge that connects us all. Being able to travel through different states within Nigeria was something that really made the tour special. Every single city has a different scene and a different energy. Major thank you to New Balance for giving us a ton of shoes and gear to give out, WAF skatepark for starting something special in Nigeria, Mike the Skate Nomad for joining us and being able to recap an incredible journey, and Skating Is Risky for helping continue African representation of skateboarding.
Including locals is something we put a major emphasis on. If locals aren’t inspired themselves, it’s hard for a scene to thrive and continue. It’s important to us to show people that even though you might not have all the resources all the time, you can still make something really special happen. Skaters to look out for include Henry Okwubuasi, Fahd Bello Joseph “Skywalker” Omojuwa, Ayo Aderigbe, David Alloysius Nyong, and Giles Oomoluabi.
WAF (wafflesncream) is a Lagos based skate brand. They opened the first concrete skatepark in Nigeria, along with the first skateshop in Nigeria. Because Lagos is such a massive city, inspiration and trends spread a lot quicker, allowing people to more likely be exposed to skateboarding. WAF has become a huge pillar in Nigeria’s skate community.
In each city that we visited, we connected with locals and put on skate jams for the community. During these jams we gave out products, held contests, and even taught skate lessons. It was rewarding and fulfilling to be able to show people skateboarding for the first time and to share that excitement and inspiration with them.
