Meet Africa’s “Island Gals” skateboarders in this photo series by Karabo Mooki

South African photographer, Karabo Mooki, has been spending time with the Island Gals skaters, who he says are “shifting the narrative of what it means to be a Black woman in skateboarding.”

Karabo is a photographer from Johannesburg who focuses on marginalized communities and stories that are overlooked by mainstream media. “I aim to bring people together through art and cultural stories that will engage audiences in conversations that strip away preconceived notions that society has created about a Black monolith.”

“These young women are reclaiming the places they skate in, and declaring their right to occupy spaces in protest to South Africa’s tumultuous history with gender-based violence.”

Thato Moet

Why do you skate?
I skate because it has had such a positive impact on my mental health, it’s a form of exercise that is therapeutic and helps me keep in shape. I find it better than going to the gym. The process of falling in skateboarding is very similar to the way that I approach and view life. Skateboarding and life lessons tend to overlap and the way I approach dusting myself off and picking myself up in order to achieve what my heart desires or what I put my mind to.

What does skateboarding feel like for you?
Skating makes me feel really good and confident, it’s one of the greatest passions of mine and I’ve committed a lot of my life to it. Skateboarding makes me feel like I can accomplish so much in my life and it has reciprocated that energy by giving me so many lessons and opportunities on the journey. It makes me feel like I am able to achieve and thrive for almost anything I want.

What is skateboarding like for you as a Black woman in Africa?
Honestly being a Black woman in South Africa, it’s really difficult considering it’s one of the most difficult places in the world for women. Difficult in a sense that when you get into the sport, you already feel oppressed, you’re made to believe that men are “better” than girls could ever be. And if you do progress, you won’t be accepted in the same way as others because you aren’t likely to gain the same access that men will receive through the sport. For example, I know that most people won’t have to worry about their journey to the skate park in the same way that I have to think of the journey to the park. As a Black woman I have to travel alone in public transport, with my own transportation funds and there is no guarantee for my safety to the park and once I leave the park. There are so many layers to why it’s difficult as a Black woman in Africa to be dedicated to skateboarding, but I have made the sacrifices for the art and the sport that I love. I’ve sacrificed enough and I know I will sacrifice much more only to feel comfortable as I need to be as a Black woman skateboarding in Africa.

How did you get into skating?
I got into skateboarding through a boyfriend back in the day. I was highly attracted to the sport, but I noticed it was just men around me that were skating. I didn’t let that hold me back because I had a history of taking part in male-dominated sports — I’d played soccer and rugby before and thought how hard could it be to get into skating?

Candice Nthabi

Why do you skate?
I skate because I love proving people wrong. I want to show the world that their misconceptions are wrong. I love dismantling any stereotypes that have been created around the idea that women are incapable of doing what men can do. I want to celebrate the power of women and show the world the narrative that women run this.

What does skateboarding feel like for you?
Skateboarding feels like my own world, a world where I’m in control, where I feel like there’s nothing that can bring me down. I feel almost invincible when I skate; I feel anything is possible and that I am my own biggest challenge and opponent.

How did you get into skating?
A friend of mine suggested I start skating and at first I thought I couldn’t. But I had to prove to myself that I was indeed capable if I really wanted it, so I tried it out and I fell in love with skating from the day I actually confronted my fears.

What is skateboarding like for you as a Black woman in Africa?
Skating for me as a woman gives me a newfound source of motivation. It has allowed me to approach life fearlessly. Skateboarding has shown me that I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to, I’ve overcome gender restraints, I see myself with much more confidence and it has allowed me to inspire other women in skateboarding. Skateboarding has reshaped the way that I approach life as a Black woman in skateboarding.

Jeannè k. Nduwa

How did you get into skating?
Two years after high school, I used my first paycheck to buy my first skateboard. I was absolutely thrilled, all I wanted to do was skate, because it allowed me to feel free, jovial and skateboarding gave me so much confidence on and off of the board, being in and around the skate community. Being around a community of skateboarders brought me a sense of happiness. And after attending the Kimberley Diamond Cup here in South Africa, my whole perspective of skateboarding and the culture changed for me. Being immersed in a space that was full of skaters and not being judged for who I was or where I came from was very different for me, it gave me a sense of belonging, which made me want to skate even more. I wanted to meet more skaters and I wanted to get more people into skating. I fell in love with the culture, the people, the energy and again it gave me so much confidence as a girl. I felt like a void had been filled inside of me once I had found skateboarding.

What is skateboarding like for you as a Black woman in Africa?
It’s not easy being a Black woman in skateboarding in Africa, especially in this society. Every day that I skate I get verbally abused by onlookers, people have not quite been able to accept that this is a space for Black women to occupy. People have a lot to say about it; when I skate down the street people question aspects of my life that have nothing to do with the sport. I’ve been questioned about my religion as if I am a part of some unsavory cult, I’ve had judgments toward my sexual orientation from complete strangers, I’ve heard remarks of me being a terrible person because my presence as a Black woman on a skateboard will influence their children. The list of negative thoughts and opinions go on, from skeptics questioning my “rebellious” ways to the ability for me to get married in the future. So many ridiculous questions and opinions from ignorant people that I have come into proximity with. But there are a handful of really supportive people too who have expressed and conveyed positive messages of support by sharing their desires to want their daughters and grandchildren to learn how to skate.

It hasn’t been completely accepted in society to see Black women skateboarding here in Africa. It’s understood to be something one only sees on television and the way it’s been portrayed has perpetuated the way people understand and perceive the culture and representation of skateboarding. Every day I have to face so many challenges, but I am happy to be a part of the movement, to be a role model to many other Black women in skateboarding and demonstrate that we have a right to be here and that you can be so many things as well as a skateboarder, one can be a hard-working successful woman, a leader in the community and still skate.

What does skateboarding feel like for you?
Skateboarding gives me inner peace, it allows me to forget all my troubles, skateboarding gives me a sense of escapism even if it’s just for a moment in time. It keeps me young, whether it’s a kick push to work or a roll to the market, it frees me from the world’s realities and the weight of the world at that moment.

Why do you skate?
I skate because I love it. My curiosity for skating started when I was just eight years old, but the whole idea was a little too far-fetched for me because I am female and the sport itself is really expensive here in Africa. My cousin’s friend had a board and I would always watch him skate when I was younger, my brother was gifted Heelys while I was forced to appreciate everything that pushed the stereotype of what it meant to be a girl, which made me so jealous of the fact that I wasn’t able to express myself freely. My family told me that I couldn’t take part in these male-dominated spaces because I am a girl and that I would get hurt. Years later my brother and I saved up for our first board which wasn’t the greatest board, it was a HUD board and anyone who’s had one of these knows the struggles with it, but not too long after that Skateistan opened up a park in New Doornfontein, which is a lot closer to any park that was available to me. Going to the park as often as possible allowed me to escape my problems from home to school and just anything that affected me in my life and in general. Skateboarding kept me free from discrimination in a safe haven where I could express myself without feeling judged by others around me.

Liezelle Mogowe

Why do you skate?
Skateboarding is one of the very few sports with limited rules. Skateboarding has helped me confront my relationship with anxiety and allowed me to gain more confidence as an individual. Being a part of a skate community has allowed me to feel less alone, even when I’m out skating alone. Skateboarding has allowed me to value the power of self-expression and it allows me to escape my own reality. It is a risky sport and I love taking risks.

What does skateboarding feel like for you?
Skateboarding feels way better than anything I’ve experienced before, I feel as if I have so much to learn and experience through skateboarding. I’ve learnt that I can overcome so many of my personal fears and I am driven by my determination to face any adversity or challenge that is presented to me. I am washed over with a tingly euphoric sensation right through my body when I skate. I embrace the freedom and the feeling of accomplishment when I notice the progress and the continuous improvements within myself and my approach to skateboarding.

How did you get into skating?
I recall seeing boys in my neighbourhood skating and the emotions it evoked when they were out skating. The sounds and the sight of skateboarding made me feel something I had never felt before. Seeing the attempts to learn a trick motivated me to want to learn how to skate. Because I had never been exposed to any Black woman in my neighbourhood and community skating before, made me want to skate even more. When I came across a post about the community that Island Gals had created I knew that this was my tribe and I had to be a part of this movement in skateboarding.

What is skateboarding like for you as a Black woman in Africa?
As a Black woman skating in Africa, I’ve felt a sense of confidence and a powerful force within me that reminds me that anything is possible, that I cannot be bound to certain roles because of society’s expectations. I celebrate my place within skateboarding and wave this flag proudly.

Interview and photos: Karabo Mooki