Skating South Africa’s Valley of a Thousand Hills
- Text by Alex King
An hours drive north west from the golden beaches of Durban, the land begins to rise into rolling, sun-baked ridges, packed with lush greenery: you know when you’ve arrived at the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Push on further up the gently winding road and you’ll come to Isithumba, a small village where life for young people will never be the same again.
Indigo Skate Camp is helping to shape the village’s very first generation of skaters, who are growing up with a vastly different outlook on life to their elders.
Indigo was built by South African pro skater Dallas Oberholzer. There are other skate-for-development programmes around the country, but none are in such a rural and isolated location as Isithumba, in the Kwazulu-Natal region.
Alongside skateboarding, the programme teaches self-respect, health and safety, art and music; supports the kids’ formal education and aims to tackle the disconnection of the area’s young people from the rest of the country. Now 30-40 young Zulu villagers take part in the programme and their experience of skateboarding has created a more positive mindset and greater sense of togetherness. There’s a stark contrast emerging between the kids who’ve grown up with the park and the generation directly above them, whose isolation and lack of opportunities has left many unemployed and directionless.
In Valley of a Thousand Hills, we see Indigo coaches Mazwi and Charl take the kids – many of whom have never left the area before – to compete at Germiston Snake Run, just outside Johannesburg. In a country where relations between races can be fraught and different communities often lead totally separate lives outside the progressive metropolises, it’s an opportunity for young people from vastly different backgrounds to come together. But are the Indigo crew’s skills, honed in their rural skate paradise, up to taking on the kids from the big city?
Valley of a Thousand Hills was shot and directed by Jess Colquhoun. Check out her Instagram.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
In west London, Subbuteo is alive and flicking
London Subbuteo Club — The tabletop football game sees players imitate vintage teams with tactics and tiny painted replica kits. Ryan Loftus takes a trip to Fulham to meet a dedicated community and witness a titanic Brazil vs Coventry City showdown.
Written by: Ryan Loftus
Leticia Bufoni is one of the greatest skaters ever. Now she’s tearing up asphalt.
Vamos, Leticia! — The Brazilian trailblazer helped rewrite the rulebook for women in skateboarding – and now she’s setting the pace behind the wheel for Porsche. For Huck’s 20th Anniversary Issue, she reflects on shredding stereotypes, building a career in male-dominated spaces, empowering the next generation, and the lessons that defined her journey.
Written by: Tracy Kawalik
Jodie Ounsley: “Sometimes your biggest strength is admitting when you’re struggling”
Hard Feelings — Fury from the latest generation of Gladiators joins our column on masculinity, speaking to Robert Kazandjian about her new book, her close relationship with her late father, and being a role model for both young boys and girls.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian
Capturing the spirit of the ’90s surf scene with Volcom
Nineteen 90 Nowhere — The brand’s latest Featured Artist Series collection sees them tap three surfers and artists in Gony Zubizarretta, Seth Conboy and Issam Auptel, whose neo-grunge work blends the rawness of the decade with the present.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Why is the Amazon’s ‘great roar’ river wave shrinking?
Pororoca — Set in northern Brazil’s edge, a miles long tidal bore has become a destination for waveriders attempting its endless surf. But its future is uncertain, as landscape and weather changes have seen its power mellow in recent years.
Written by: Gaia Neiman
The wild, gruelling beauty of fell running
Winner Gets Cake — With no marked route and often brutal conditions, the “quintessentially British sport” is the subject of a new joint film by TCO and Rab. Hannah Bentley explores its vertical climbs, downhill dashes and punk roots.
Written by: Hannah Bentley
