Luís Vinho Skate Park – ON THE RAMP TO FUTURE

When, in 2007, Francisco Vinho thought about creating the first Skate Park in an expanding neighbourhood, few had faith. But fearless and with his own funds, the 41-year-old man came, years later, to give life to his dream, starting the materialisation of the Luís Vinho Skate Park space, in his own backyard, located in Khongolote, Matola, Maputo province.

The construction of the Skate Park was completed in 2019, with the support of international organisations such as Skate World Better and Wonder Around The World. Since then, it has never closed its doors to teenage children and children from the Khongolote district, whom Vinho wants to see empowered.

“This Skate Park is serving as an instrument of inclusion, empowerment; a lifestyle, actually. This universe, by the way, has hidden bonuses for others, but known to us practitioners. One of the most beautiful, for example, is the persistence that you learn whenever you fall and stand up,” he explains, who believes that, in addition to making friendships possible, the sport breaks down social barriers.

But Francisco Vinho did not always think of skateboarding as having a social component. As he says, everything happened after he left the city of Maputo, where he was born and lived for years, to the Khongolote neighbourhood. There he saw that he could use the sport as a way to empower and fight against social discrimination. “The self-esteem of these children and teenagers has increased a lot since the project started. We really feel that we are transforming their lives and ours, as it is a great satisfaction to be able to contribute to the well-being of others.”

This year the project was joined by several girls, breaking the myth that
skateboarding is an activity for boys.

Children and teenagers aged between six and seventeen are only allowed to enter the project if they are attending a school and when registered by their guardians who, upon registration, pay only five meticais to purchase the token.

“There are those who think that the boys could enroll themselves, taking into account that there are no amounts to be paid, but it is necessary to clarify that we make the point that it should be the parents, to ensure greater proximity between them and their children.” Activities start at 9 am and end around 6 pm. Vinho says that the multiple schedules are designed to allow different students to also carry out the curricular activities smoothly.

This year the project was joined by several girls. The idea excites the mentor. Although he expects the number of girls to increase, he feels that, for now, there is some change in thinking and skateboarding is already beginning to be seen as not just for boys. “More than just being here, they are also making themselves felt, they have been highlighted and are able to be on the track and position themselves like the boys,” he boasts.

Most of the existing equipment at the Luís Vinho Skate Park comes from funds from his mentor and the support he has sought from different skateboarding organisations internationally. But more is needed.

Issue 69 Sept/Oct | Download.