SKATEISTAN

Last week, Skateistan acquired a large plot of land in Bibi Mahrou Hill, a section of the Wazir Akhbar Khan district in Kabul. We are grateful to Ibrahim Arafee, German Development Service cameraman, who helped faciliate negotiations for the land with the Kabul Municipal Council and Parks Authority. Mr. Haji Habib, the head of the Parks Authority department held the land for us despite competitive bids from the Tajikistan Embassy and multi-million dollar telecommunications providers. Mr. Habib was supportive of the fact that all Skateistan staff work on a voluntary basis and expressed his faith in Skateistan’s aim to create a public space for the people of Kabul. Without the tireless assistance and good faith of Mr. Habib, our aquiring such a park would not have been possible.

The Swedish Embassy personnell kindly financed the earth-moving equipment, which allowed us to flatten the land and will subsequently allow us to lay down concrete. We’re hoping, with the support of donations, to finish the project by the end of the year. Wade Trevean, a designer from  Convic Design prepared a draft plan for the park within a week, which was immediately translated into Dari. In addition to the outdoor concrete area, ideal for everything from skateboarding to volleyball to cricket, plans are also underway to construct an indoor skate park complete with toilets and showers. Several trees are situated on the left hand side of the park and it is in this grassy area that we plan to construct a playground for Afghan children. 

And of course, what would skate park negotiations be without seemingly endless cups of Afghan tea and slices of watermelon from Northern Afghanistan?