Have yourself a wheelie good time

NEXT Friday Indigo Skate Camp will host the Indigo Skate Gala, a photographic exhibit and mixed media art show displaying 15 years of the Indigo Youth Movement.

Taking place at Cape Town High School from 5pm till 10pm (under a full moon), the artwork will be set up around the perfectly skateable Olympic-size pool where some of South Africa’s biggest names in skateboardings will be seen in action – Jan Horrowitz, Moses Adams, Joubert van Staden and Chris Cab – along with the junior team of Zulu skaters from Indigo Skate Camp in KZN.

A variety of contemporary and abstract art pieces, including framed prints by photographer Craig Scott and sculptures from artist Paul Edmunds and bespoke skateboarding memorabilia will be auctioned, with proceeds going towards the NGO’s mandate of making skateboarding and facilities accessible to at-risk youngsters in South Africa.

The Laureus-funded Indigo Skate Camp is the brainchild of Dallas Oberholzer, whose exposure to international skateboarding competitions inspired him to create opportunities for disadvantaged young people and to learn all about skateboarding. The main objectives of the project are to introduce the sport to young rural villagers and to invite international guests to the village to learn more about Zulu culture.

This has led participants to learn how to skate and to become more confident individuals. Established in the heart of Isithumba, a rural Zulu village on the outskirts of Durban, the project has introduced young people to skateboarding and also created an opportunity for them to be introduced to tourism, life skills and entrepreneurship.

Indigo has signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Cape Town acknowledging and supporting the after-school skateboarding instruction sessions that Indigo hosts in Cape Town in Nyanga, Kleinvlei and Scottsdene. It is working on a pilot programme in Valhalla, in partnership with the city. The aim is to create more skateboard parks in the Western Cape. The city will remunerate the instructors via the expanded public works programme, which will help to create job for youths who are passionate about skateboarding.

Tickets for next Friday’s event are R50 and can be bought at the door, or a donation of skateboard equipment will be accepted as entry. Food will be on offer at the event, while Roastin Records will keep the beats flowing.

● Cape Town High School is at 96 Hatfield Road, Gardens. See www.indigoskatecamp.co.za

PICTURE: JANSEN VAN STADEN RAD: Mazwi Msomi at the Indigo Skate Camp pool in the Valley of 1 000 Hills in KwaZulu-Natal.