Teenage Utopia: Skating Through the Lockdown
- Text by Alex King
After November’s Paris terror attacks in which 130 people died, attention quickly shifted to the Belgian capital, Brussels. Police raided properties believed to have been used in planning the attacks and the city was put on a security lockdown. The terror alert was raised to four, the highest level. Army convoys cruised the streets, businesses were closed and police requested a social media blackout.
Huck travelled to Brussels to meet a multicultural group of teenage skaters and see life under the lockdown through their eyes. We wanted to find out about their experiences of growing up in a place being described by some as the poster child for failed integration: a divided city of immigrant ghettos, no-go zones and Europe’s radicalisation capital. Huck found something different altogether.
At Ursulines skatepark in central Brussels, we met kids from all different backgrounds coming together to skate, to jam and just hang out. Fatima, 21, a student from Casablanca, Morocco; Ramy, 19, who grew up in Barcelona with Moroccan/Egyptian roots; and Daniela, 17, who’s Belgian/Bolivian, are part of a diverse group of friends, including Belgians and first and second generation immigrant kids from Thailand, Poland, Greece, Turkey and elsewhere.
The crew invited us to their evening hangout at The Hangar, an indoor DIY skatepark next to the Brussels canal, where they skate and play music together as Rumble Pit. Through spending two days in their world, we found music, skateboarding and the kids’ punk attitude to life proved stronger than the cultural, racial and religious differences that many would expect to drive them apart.
Subscribe to Huck’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss another short film.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
“Like skating an amphitheatre”: 50 years of the South Bank skatepark, in photos
Skate 50 — A new exhibition celebrates half a century of British skateboarding’s spiritual centre. Noah Petersons traces the Undercroft’s history and enduring presence as one of the world’s most iconic spots.
Written by: Noah Petersons
On Marrakech’s outskirts, a skatepark reimagines possibility for local youth
Tameslouht — Built on the grounds of the Fiers et Forts orphanage, a new spot is providing space for connection and purpose, while incubating top-class talent. Ellie Howard reports from its banks.
Written by: Ellie Howard
The utopic vision of Black liberation in ’60s & ’70s jazz
Freedom, Rhythm & Sound — As Pan-African optimism spread across the world in the postcolonial era, Black-led record labels gave artists space to express themselves away from the mainstream. A new book collates 500 groundbreaking albums and their covers.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Analogue Appreciation: Wesley Joseph
Forever Ends Someday — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, visual and sonic shapeshifter Wesley Joseph.
Written by: Wesley Joseph
The Strokes condemn US imperialism in Coachella set
Oblivius — The band finished their performance at the festival’s second weekend with a montage of bombings in Gaza and Iran, along with images of world leaders that the CIA has been accused of overthrowing over the past century.
Written by: Noah Petersons
Eating concrete with London Skate Mums
Parental steeze — Founded during the pandemic, the group has ballooned into a community, giving mothers of various ages and abilities space to pull tricks, fall and express themselves. Sydney Lobe meets them at the legendary Southbank Undercroft.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
