Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is known for his social, political and cultural criticism, and he is now the latest artist to collaborate with SK8room, the platform dedicated solely to the production of art, promotion and sales on skatebaords.
These are available directly from the manufacturer and 20 percent of all the sales go to Skateistan, non-profit NGO that works with youth from a range of ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds.
From Good Is: Students of DIY Workshop Make First Skateboards in Afghanistan
Skateistan began as a Kabul-based NGO, and now operates projects in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Pakistan, with a second facility opening in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, in 2013. Skateistan focuses on reaching out to girls and working children, using skateboarding as a tool for developing leadership opportunities, and building friendship, trust, and social capital among its students. While skateboarding is the initial way to get students involved, Skateistan is then able to provide access to education and platforms for self-expression that help break the cycles of poverty and exclusion. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.02.2013): Kabul Skateboards, E-Bike Increase in Europe, Goal Tech
While many American skateboarders probably feel that are unnecessary restrictions in the United States – such as a ban in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon and a new Laguna Beach ordinance that requires youths riding a skateboard to wear a helmet – skateboarding was an activity that was essentially banned nation-wide in Afghanistan under the Taliban.
It wasn’t that the Taliban actually singled out skateboarding but that all forms of sport were restricted or banned. However the new book Skateistan: The Tale of Skateboarding in Afghanistan chronicles how the group – known as Skateistan – was founded by Australian Oliver Percovich, who first traveled to Afghanistan in early 2007. He had traveled to the country with three skateboards and what began as informal skateboarding lessons with local children turned into a project that saw the construction of the Skateistan park in 2009. Video after the jump