slum skaters

If you wander down into Kintintale slum towards the train tracks, you’ll come across its second skatepark. Each afternoon until the sun drops the park comes alive with locals tearing through the space while younger kids and their parents sit, play, and watch from the edges.

In 2013, I travelled to Uganda with my 4×5 camera to meet the Uganda Skateboard Union, setting out to make portraits of individuals who, despite the obstacles of everyday life, commit themselves to skateboarding with a quiet persistence and passion.

Those featured in this series have spent years proving their dedication, often riding second, third, even fourth-hand boards passed down through generations of Kintintale skaters. As recognition begins to reach some and skateboarding continues to grow across Africa, younger skaters look outward, absorbing styles and techniques they’ve only seen online, striving to replicate and evolve them.

What emerges is something distinct: a blend of 80’s flair and modern freestyle, shaped by limitation but not defined by it, performed at a level that can stand comfortably alongside scenes in the UK and USA.