Ghana’s first-ever Skate Park, established in collaboration with clothing brands Off-White and Daily Paper, along with Surf Ghana, which paid homage to the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, is forced to close down two years after its opening.
The closure is imminent due to pressures and challenges brought forth as a contractor built a cement wall to prevent skaters from accessing the place.
Wole Olosunde, a designer and native New Yorker, made the revelation in an Instagram post over the weekend after he visited the park, where he discovered the park had been closed.
“Finally got to visit FREEDOM, the skate park Virgil Abloh built in Accra, Ghana,” Olosunde wrote. “One of his last projects before he passed. I left heartbroken and confused. Cause why tf is no one talking about or fighting for this?” he quizzed.
Olosunde further revealed that a business owner has “built a cement wall then poured sand through the park to keep all skaters out.”
“It has been like this for almost a full year, leaving these kids with nowhere to skate,” he added. “To the point they built their own temporary skate park to be able to keep spreading the love of skating and building community.”
Olosunde wondered why no one was talking about the park’s closure, indicating that the late Virgil Abloh had difficulty raising money to put up the facility.
“VA did so much for the world in his time here why can’t anyone do this for him?” he shared.
Reactions from Olosunde’s post
The post attracted genuine concerns from his followers and partners including Surf Ghana, who were glad to witness Olosunde using his platform to voice out their grievances.
“We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share our story. It has been nearly 9 months since we’ve been unable to use the space we paid for and lovingly built into an incredible skatepark with the help of the Ghanaian community and enthusiasts from around the world,” Surf Ghana commented.
“Regrettably, we have encountered acts of sabotage, and we are still searching for the necessary support to either regain access to our space or potentially find a new location,” it added.
American rapper, singer and songwriter Travis Scott also replied, “MANNN WHATT
WHAT WE DOINNNNNGGGGGGGG LET ME KNOW WHAT WE GOTTA DO TO GET MY BROTHER PARK BACK GOING PLEASSSSSEEEEEEE”
“@highsnobiety you wrote an article about the skatepark when it first opened up. Time to spread the word of what’s been going on. These Ghana kids deserve better!!,” one Oumarkante also commented.
Virgil Abloh was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection from 2018 until he died in late 2021.
Abloh was also the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label Off-White, a fashion house he founded in 2012. He was born on September 30, 1980, in Rockford, Illinois, to Ghanaian immigrant parents.