Oliver Percovich, a 34-year-old Australian skateboarding enthusiast, has found willing pupils among the youths of Kabul, Afghanistan, who are learning some new tricks in borrowed and donated spaces, making a play for a bit of adolescent normalcy amid the signs of war.
Click here to watch a video of Skateistan’s recruits in action.
The New York Times:
“Teenagers are trying to dissociate from old mentalities, and I’m their servant,” Percovich said. “If they weren’t interested, I would’ve left a long time ago.”
Now, when he pulls his motorcycle into a residential courtyard here, a dozen youngsters pounce before it comes to a stop, yanking six chipped skateboards with fading paint off the back. The children, most participating in a sport for the first time in their war-hardened lives, do not want to waste any time.
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Their skateboard park is a decrepit Soviet-style concrete fountain with deep fissures. The tangle of novice skaters resembles bumper cars more than X Games.
But Percovich has raised the money needed to build an 8,600-square-foot bubble to house the nonprofit Skateistan complex, and the Kabul Parks Authority has tentatively donated land. He is still waiting for official permission to begin the project. And since a spate of kidnappings and the car bombing in late November, he has reduced his daily sessions at the fountain to once or twice a week.
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By may, January 28, 2009 at 6:02 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
the religious/political purists will hate this.
taking childrens minds away into the realm of pure fun?
By Aafje, January 28, 2009 at 1:02 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Great idea. How many unused skateboards will be lying about idle in Europe and the US, thrown aside by our easily bored and spoiled teenagers, or piled up under other surplus toys that we could send overthere? Must be millions.
I heard last year that Dick Cheney was having skateboard parks built in Iraq, part of our rebuilding what we destroyed. Yet the people didn’t know what skateboarding was, so they hired people to teach it, at taxpayers expense. To think that this is one reason why we went over there to rebuilt the country with “parks” when they lack even the most basic of lives needs like water, shelter, hospitals,electric, etc… makes one now just how deluded the former administration was/is.
It is fine for the children to have something other than war to occupy their minds all the time, but the comment by Hadisa that it is okay for her brothers to beat her bloody is unacceptable. Things will take a lot longer than 10 years to change for the better for the women in this part of the world. Females should never be taught that it is acceptable for them to be used as a whipping post for the ignorance, religious dogma, superstition and frustrations of the male.
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By may, January 28, 2009 at 6:02 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
the religious/political purists will hate this.
taking childrens minds away into the realm of pure fun?
Report thisBy hippy pam, January 28, 2009 at 7:32 am Link to this comment
Bomb them back to the stone age…..Then build “kiddie” parks for them….[“ole bullshits” LEGACY].......
Do the Re_Puke_Likins REALLY BELIEVE this will work….
Report thisBy Aafje, January 28, 2009 at 1:02 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Great idea. How many unused skateboards will be lying about idle in Europe and the US, thrown aside by our easily bored and spoiled teenagers, or piled up under other surplus toys that we could send overthere? Must be millions.
Report thisBy purplewolf, January 27, 2009 at 9:14 am Link to this comment
I heard last year that Dick Cheney was having skateboard parks built in Iraq, part of our rebuilding what we destroyed. Yet the people didn’t know what skateboarding was, so they hired people to teach it, at taxpayers expense. To think that this is one reason why we went over there to rebuilt the country with “parks” when they lack even the most basic of lives needs like water, shelter, hospitals,electric, etc… makes one now just how deluded the former administration was/is.
It is fine for the children to have something other than war to occupy their minds all the time, but the comment by Hadisa that it is okay for her brothers to beat her bloody is unacceptable. Things will take a lot longer than 10 years to change for the better for the women in this part of the world. Females should never be taught that it is acceptable for them to be used as a whipping post for the ignorance, religious dogma, superstition and frustrations of the male.
Report this