Sandy & Kuukua, Co-Founders of Skate Gal Club | Accra, Ghana

Kuukua Eshun and Sandy Alibo with members of the Skate Gal Club in Ghana photographed by Kuukua Eshun

The following is a conversation between Kuukua Eshun and Sandy Alibo, co-founders of Skate Gal Club, and Natasha and Monika Samtani, co-founders, The Fem Word.

Natasha Samtani:

Hey everyone, this is The Fem Word. I'm your host, Natasha Samtani, and we are so excited to have a chat today with Sandy Alibo and Kuukua Eshun, co-founders of the Skate Gal Club in Ghana, the first-ever all-girls skate group in the country. And guys, it's amazing to have you with us. Welcome.

Kuukua Eshun:

Thank you for having us.

Natasha:

Just some background for our listeners, The Skate Gal Club was founded in 2019, and the purpose of the group is to nurture the skills of women while providing them with a safe and empowered space to build confidence and community while exploring sports, arts, and so much more. Also, Skate Gal Club believes that skateboarding is more than just a sport, it's a social environment in which women can dare to be vulnerable and confident, and lift each other up and inspire one another. Tell us what inspired you to create this group of women. 

Sandy Alibo:

We just started the project in June 2019, because as the founder of Surf Ghana, I noticed that in Ghana, not a lot of people were practicing extreme sport in general. In the past, I was organizing maybe 10 events per year and no women were coming to our events. So, I was really sad and upset about this situation, and I was like, maybe we should check abroad how people connect with more women and invite more women to practice extreme sports. I discovered a lot of events with women sessions only, and I think it's really new in Ghana to create this safe space for women. So this is how I decided to create the project. It was more to create a safe space for women in general. This is how we started the conversation with these experiences in the past with the collective that I founded four years ago.

Natasha:

I love that. I think it is so important to have a safe space for women to feel like they can express themselves maybe in a way that they never thought they could in the past. How did you discover skateboarding?

Ria Photo Credit: Sandy Alibo

Sandy:

I discovered skateboarding almost 10 years ago. I was working in France and I had the opportunity to work for a mobile company that really wanted to be involved in extreme sport in general. Also, I was part of the industry organizing a lot of events of extreme sport and in particular skateboarding events. I met thousands of athletes. Working in the industry was really a way for me to understand the benefits of sports, and the benefits of this subculture. And, I just fell in love with the culture. What I love the most is the freedom that inspired the sport. The way we practice it because it's not about competition, it's more about how we can create a community where we can support each other. I really love the vibe and the culture behind skateboarding. So I started practicing, I started working with people on art projects, music projects, events. It was an amazing journey until now. That's why when I arrived in Ghana four years ago, in my mind, I was really like, “I need to do this here, I need to develop this project here,” because I always saw the experience abroad, in France in particular, and I was so excited to develop it here and see the benefits in Ghana.

Natasha:

It's so true, skate culture does have so many other offshoots of it, right? There's so much art involved, there's so much rich culture inside of the skate community. I know Kuukua, you come from a film background if I'm not mistaken. So you come from the arts. I'm so curious how you guys came together with these two passions, for sport and art, and how you've decided to merge these two and involve yourselves both in the same capacity. How did that happen?

Kuukua:

I think that for me it's truly about representation. And also perspective, born in Ghana, raised in Ghana up until basically half of my life, finally I moved to the U.S. For me it's about creating a voice. It's about inspiring a generation. The fact that you don't always see representation in Ghana, or in Africa in general, or even within the black community. So, for me it's about bringing women together and just having a voice and saying, hey, I didn't have this when I was young. I didn't see women skating, I didn't see women having a voice, and doing what they want. In Ghana, sports are very frowned upon. Not just skateboarding. As soon as a woman is involved in sports, it's 'Uh, yeah...don't do that. That's not for women, that's not lady-like.' So, it's about representation. Just knowing that I could be a voice or I could inspire the next generation that will come after me, I think is very fulfilling.

Sandy:

Yeah. It's really fulfilling to me.

Natasha:

That's really interesting to me. How have you guys faced any negative response from the community? Because you're bringing sport, especially skateboarding, which I know is a more extreme sport. Has that been a challenge for you guys?

Kuukua:

For the most part, when we skate on the street, some people are like, 'What are you doing? What is that?' Some people are really fascinated. I guess half and half. Some people might also, maybe even sexualize it. Like a lot of men will catcall you when you're skaters. There's a lot of, 'Ooh, wow. Really nice. Wow. I like it.' So I think the bottom line is people are not used to it, but maybe the experience might be different from Sandy because she skates with guys, because with me it's always been with the girls.

Natasha:

I think even if you saw a group of women in the U.S. skating together, I think that's like just a badass sight that I haven't seen very often. It's incredible. Sandy, were you saying that you had an experience with that as well?

Sandy:

Skate Gal Club Photo Credit: Sandy Alibo

Yeah, so, when we started skating with guys, and we can say that skating with guys, it's a lot of pressure. It's pressure, because first of all, most of the skateboarders here have learned from the Internet. You see, we don't have a skate park, so we learn from each other. And you know, men sometimes don't have the same passions as the women, but also they want to win something. It's like competitions. But women, the way we practice it, it's more like we feel connected and we have a combined passion, and we just want to enjoy the ride, we see. So it's really different the way we practice it and what it represents for us. So, for example, from the perspective of the police, today, the police don't really understand what we are doing. So, when we face the police, so far, it's really difficult to explain what we are doing, and it's really dangerous. But, from the population, the locals in general, yes. We have different points of view, and I can say that it's easier for us to practice skateboarding in a safe space because that means it's only us so nobody can judge us. So that's why it's even better to practice that way. But if we practice in the streets or public areas, for now, we see the face of people, but we also see the excitement. So I share, finally, the same vision as Kuukua, but I can say that practicing with men is more stressful.

Natasha:

That's fair to say. I think as with anything, when you're building something that's unique and a community hasn't seen before, it's going to be an experience that, you know, you're not always going to have everyone understand it. But, that's what's so great about what you're doing and you're challenging the norm. And the way you are also encouraging women who have never skated before. What's your response to women who are like, well, I have, I've never done this before. I don't even know what skateboarding is. I'm assuming you guys are open to these people, but what's your response, you know, if they are timid about it.

Kuukua:

No, that's really funny because listen, I'm level one too. So I seriously was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is scary.' I'm like, 'Yeah girl, I'm on the same level as you, so let's just do it together.' So, for the most part, I guess they can relate, and they feel more comfortable because they're like, 'Oh, okay. Even you, you're on the same level as me. Okay, cool. Let me, you know, let me jump on this thing and see what I can do.'

Natasha:

So, how do you welcome beginner skaters into your club and then also, how have the events evolved? What did they look like when you first started doing them and how do they look today?

Sandy:

Yeah, so far, we organized five events. So, it's even the beginning for us. That means we are all learning, we are all beginners. So, what we can say is, it's encouraging the number. We have more than 200 members who are registered at the Skate Gal Club. And we can say that we have 10 active members who practice everyday skateboarding right now. So for us, it's really good numbers, it's really encouraging for the future. And what I can say is we don't pay attention to the level for now because the skateboarding club, it's more a meetup where women can connect and get inspiration, it is not only about skateboarding. So what I like about this project, I think, it's the way the women connect after the Skate Gal Club. I can share a lot of stories in this conversation, but we notice a lot of women as female entrepreneurs who connected after the Skate Gal Club and work together right now. So that's why it's been interesting the way women interact after just small connections through sports. That's why it's really exciting for me. And not just the level of skateboarding, but also the connection and how we inspire women through this project.

Skate Gal Club Photo Credit: Kuukua Eshun

Natasha:

Do you have any, any special stories or memories that come to mind in your journey so far of a woman that was especially impacted positively by your organization?

Sandy:

Yeah, for sure. So for example, at every meet up we try to promote a female entrepreneur who wants to learn skateboarding but also connect with our project or our services. And we met Lauren. So, Lauren is an agriculturist and she's really into climate change. She developed a project, and she's really into upcycling, fashion upcycling, et cetera. She did a workshop and explained to women that they can come to the Skate Gal Club and bring their own clothes and we can customize and we can exchange clothes. And, I think everybody loved this idea. And after that, we did other workshops with her. Thanks to the Skate Gal Club, she met a lot of women. And the same women introduced her to other projects. So we see also the evolution from just a small pitch and a conversation and how we can bring women together and add them to develop other projects. And that's why for me it's really interesting.

Monika:

What I find fascinating is that you said you have 200 members as part of the club. Give us an idea of not only the age group, but also when you all come together as a club, walk us through what you do.

Kuukua:

With the age group it varies. We have some little kids, right? Maybe, Sandy would you say like 10?

Sandy:

Yes.

Kuukua:

Even six, we do have a six year old too. So, we have from six to maybe late forties. The spectrum of the ages is really wide.

Monika:

Okay, and what's the excitement that all these different age groups feel when they come together, and what happens when you all collect together for the club?

Jane Photo Credit: Sandy Alibo

Kuukua:

I think that the most common thing that we hear is how women are in one space, and we're sharing this experience, we're sharing memories, we're sharing network, we're sharing opportunity, we're sharing stories. We've had some really sensitive, really intimate conversations. We've talked about sex, we've talked about men, we've talked about rape, we've talked about violence against women. So it's kind of like a reflection of yourself, looking into a mirror and then saying back to you that I see you and I feel you, and we share the same experiences. I think that that's one of the most powerful things, just to sit down and talk to these women and know that, in my life, I've been sexually assaulted or sexually abused. And so have so many of these women standing in front of me and it's just, it's mind-blowing. Because you don't have conversations like that very often.

Monika:

No, you don't. And it's amazing to see how sport can bring together experiences in life as well and how that intersects, and then, as a result, empowers. And I'm sure you've seen that unfold over the last year, which is pretty incredible.

Kuukua:

Yeah, it's been beautiful.

Monika:

What do you hope is going to happen next with this club?

Sandy:

I have a lot of hope for this project and this club. I think this club was really unexpected and this success was really unexpected. It gives me a lot of hope for the future, especially when I see how women feel so connected and the self-confidence that we bring. You see, what I like about the club is we really encourage free talk. That means it's not a conference. It's not like we sit and we listen. It's small groups who connect. We talk, we share through workshop activities. What I like is the way women feel free. They're free to talk about their problems, but there is not a competition, there is nothing that can make them feel stressed. We remove all the stress, and they leave the Skate Gal Club with some hope and happiness. My hope for this project is that we grow, because, for now, we connect 200 women and I hope maybe in the future we will be able to connect maybe 1000 women. For this, we need more support. We need a safe space. I think the challenge for us is to get an official space to practice skateboarding because we didn't talk about it, but in Ghana, we can't use the road to practice sports. So we need a space to practice skateboarding.

Monika:

How do people find out more about you? Where do they go? How do they support you?

Sandy:

So for now, we have the Instagram page, the name is Skate Gal Club. People can connect to us through this page, and they can send an email or message and we can launch a conversation on WhatsApp. They can also follow our adventure on Surf Ghana because we publish all our content. Also, when we talk about extreme sports in general, and we have experience in Ghana and people can contact us also through our personal pages, like Kuukua's page, my page on Instagram. But, all our community is digital right now. We hope maybe in the future we can meet more people in real life if this crisis maybe stops this year. We have a lot of hope for it, but it's not easy to continue this project for now because all the social gatherings are canceled in Ghana for the moment. But, this is also interesting for us to prepare better the project and, and get the support that we need.

Monika:

Yeah, I believe that we're all going to come out of this stronger. This is a time to reflect and for you all to come together to figure out what's going to happen next in terms of the Skate Gal Club, and leadership, and everything that you're doing. And I know that it's going to be even more successful than you ever imagined. Right, Natasha?

Natasha:

I think so.

Sandy:

Thank you so much.

Natasha:

We do have a question that we like to ask all of our guests on our show because the answers are always so diverse and beautiful. It's just a nice way to conclude everything, and what you guys are doing is so magical, so important, impactful and powerful. We are a storytelling platform, and we like to tell stories of women that are being bold and doing things in creative ways in their communities, for women, for themselves, for the planet. All of this to say, this is all very powerful stuff. I would love to hear a moment in which you felt powerful, whether it was through the project or in your life, what was something that has made you feel powerful?

Kuukua:

That's a big question. I think that in my journey as a woman, a storyteller, as someone that wants to preserve culture, and break boundaries and barriers, what has been really powerful in my journey is just understanding the potential of what can come out of me. Just tapping into who I am and being in alignment with myself from the inside out, and embracing everything that I am, that I could be, and understanding that I could do anything I put my mind to. That mindset has changed everything for me in life. By understanding the potential of my power and my purpose and allowing my passion to basically merge with my purpose and then have this beautiful big picture. That's the most powerful thing that's ever happened to me in my life.

Natasha:

That's amazing. Realizing your authentic self and stepping up is, I feel, a really important message for women to hear. That's all, you know, it's a simple formula. It takes a lot of effort, but I think that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that.

Sandy:

Harmonie Photo Credit: Kuukua Eshun

About this question, I feel powerful when I'm able to connect people. I feel like it's my duty. When I wake up in the morning, I feel like we need to work together. And right now, we need to work collectively. I think even during this crisis, I explain to everybody that even now we need a social change. I implement in the project the design thinking process. I think it could really help female entrepreneurs. In the way we think about a project collectively, we implement brainstorming, there is zero hierarchy. We work with WhatsApp, we work collectively and I really love this. I think this is how I was able to grow. Every day I'm learning, I'm in a learning process and I work with humility. I think it's really important. But, I feel most powerful when I'm able to connect people. From a small idea, I can develop a big project, and this is how I feel high every day. I worked for several years in a company and this is the first time in my life with a project that, I feel really happy. It gives me a sense to my life to do a social project. So I encourage women to follow their dreams, but also to connect with other female entrepreneurs to get the inspiration that they need.

Monika:

Thank you so much, both of you. We love your work, and we're excited to see what the future holds for your group. It's been such a pleasure and an honor truly, to meet both of you.

Kuukua:

No, thank you so much for having us and telling our story. It's amazing to have storytellers, especially women, come together to share experiences. So, thank you.

Monika:

We're connected no matter how far apart physically or geographically, right?

Kuukua:

Exactly! No, this is so true. I was just on, I think I was in a Zoom call last week and then this artist in...was it Scotland or Holland? No, I think it was Holland. She was like, oh my goodness. It's so crazy when you talk to women all over the world and then you just understand that we actually all have almost the same experience like the shared experience is so crazy. It was like I didn't grow up with you. How do we all have the same shared experience, you know, for the most part. So yeah, I think it's amazing.

Monika:

I know! Immediately, when I saw you guys on the video, I felt connected. There was no distance between us, no matter how far apart we are.

Kuukua:

Aw, yeah, that's beautiful.

Monika:

We cannot wait to see what the future holds for you. Please keep in touch with us and keep us posted on how you're doing and how we can support you.

Sandy:

We will. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Monika:

Thank you, both of you. Follow us @TheFemWord and subscribe to our newsletter at thefemword.world. Click on subscribe. This is The Fem Word. We'll be right back.

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