Travelog from Uganda

Uganda? That's what it said in the message from skate-aid. I was asked if I wanted to accompany the guys and girls of skate-aid, including Titus, to Uganda to document the whole trip (including the grand opening of the “Skull Bowl” at the Kampala Skatepark) photographically. Taking pictures…traveling…skate-aid project? I didn’t hade to think twice. After two hectic weeks due to Corona, flight cancellations and several vaccination appointments, the time had come. All I knew so far was, that Kampala is the capital of Uganda and that the country is not very rich. But since I had already followed the "Bowl-Construction" on Instagram, I knew at least a little bit how it would look like there. I would travel the first few days with Toby and Maik, who had been there before, so I wasn't really worried. My new travel friends and longtime skate-aid-Members were immediately sympathetic to me. We spent the first days visiting Kitintale, the township where the skate park is located. There were a lot of conversations, photo sessions, of course a lot of impressions and we had also skate stuff for the kids in our bags. One cannot really put it into words what it’s like there. In the township itself with its hardly passable streets, there is a poverty that hardly can be described. Often it smells burnt or like garbage. There’s simply no garbage disposal. Everywhere in the small winding streets someone is cooking and you hear a lot of laughing and see kids playing around. The atmosphere around the park is very special. You notice immediately that something has been created there and that there is a certain euphoria going on. Of course, in the mix with African serenity. Jack lives with his family at the entrance of the park. He’s the skate-aid Project Manager and the original founder of the park, where he built the first ramp in 2005. Jack is also the chairman of the Uganda Skateboard Union and you could almost call him the "mayor" of Kitintale. His word counts because of his commitment here. Everyone knows him and with him by your side you always feel safe.

Everyone here is really friendly. The older kids take care of the younger ones, in and outside of the park. The whole area around the park has developed into a kind of huge cultural center and will probably continue to develop further. There’s a small beverage store, a small "teaching workshop" where kids can learn to make cups out of bamboo. It’s a great place where kids can skateboard and hang out together. I felt absolutely welcome and well taken care of, even though it's not the best place to be there at night without company. But with Jack and the other guys everything was fine. We had a really good time. Three days after we got there, Gabu arrived. He’s the Project Coordinator for skate-aid and a very good skateboarder. Over the last two months, him and an international construction crew built the new bowl together with the locals. Everyone here loves Gabu, because he’s the type of person you can throw out of a plane in the middle of Africa and he will survive. Not only that, but he probably will connect with the locals right away. He's definitely the right man for the job! After some drinks at night, we found out that we even have a mutual acquaintance, since he once lived not far from me, in Chemnitz. It’s really a small world sometimes! The opening party was approaching, but we received a setback due to Corona. The president decrees on the same day that only small parties up to 30 people are allowed outside. Normally, the park would have been full to the max. Well, what the heck. It's about the opening and the kids - not about the party. The next day, Stefan and Julia, a film crew from Krolopp & Gerst, arrived and so does Ralf Maier from “Betonlandschaften”, who designed the Skull-Bowl. They also enjoyed the atmosphere at the park very much, shoot photos and the first sequences. Later that afternoon Titus arrived and our crew was complete. Titus’ arrival at the park was euphoric. Jack's kids welcome him with great warmth. The other residents, who know him from previous visits, also give Titus a overwhelming welcome. Jack showed Titus what was new in and around the park. We visited Jack's old house and head office, where Titus was housed in 2012. With those old stories I realized what was created here and what scope it has. And all that through skateboarding! Amazing! Back in the park, the preparations for the opening “light" were discussed. There was just a small official opening ceremony and then the kids should just go skate. On the opening day, besides a policeman, who supervises the observance of the rules, some local newspapers and media teams were there. After some interviews and the speeches of Titus, Jack and Gabu the bowl was officially opened under the applause of the kids. I took countless photos again and enjoy all these moments very much. Shortly after dusk, I retreat alone to the roof of Jack's house to let it all sink in again. What a week! So many impressions. So much cordiality. I can't really express it in words and a compressed form. But what I was able to experience there was really indescribable. Besides all the misery and poverty, I also experienced a lot of laughter and confidence. What has developed and grown in Kitintale is exemplary for what skateboarding can achieve. There’s much more than just a skate park. It's a meeting place, a place where kids can be kids and create something through ambition. It’s really very impressive!

Thank you

Text by Jörg Baumgarten, photographer in Kampala, Uganda, June 2021