They are forbidden to ride bikes, so now they skate.
These little girls in Kabul, Afghanistan are striving for empowerment and equality, one ride at a time.
And Jessica Fulford-Dobson – a London-based photographer- has captured all their strength and beauty, in a series of photographs now showing in an exhibition at London’s famous Saatchi Gallery called ‘Jessica Fulford-Dobson: Skate Girls of Kabul’.
“I was reading a newspaper late in 2012 when I stumbled across a small piece about girls skateboarding in Kabul. The article was so short that I nearly missed it. The very idea of Afghan girls on skateboards captured my imagination and I thought it was a shame that such a visually striking story was compressed into a small column of text,” Fulford-Dobson told The Weekly online.
“I specialize in portraiture, particularly of children, and here was an opportunity to photograph young girls doing something exceptional in a beautiful, albeit war-torn, country.”
And these little pocket-rockets are not alone, with girls making up 40 per cent of the student-base at Skateistan, an award-winning NGO created by Australian skate boarder, Oliver Percovich in 2007 when he first visited Afghanistan’s capital.
Aimed to empower youth and create opportunities, learning to skate, is just the beginning for these young girls.
“It’s about Afghans supporting Afghans and building up their own communities and support networks. In Afghanistan, men and women are segregated in any kind of official setting. All classes are single-sex, and older girls who have passed through the ranks at Skateistan teach the younger skaters. So the project also embodies the idea of women supporting women. I found that exciting and inspiring,” Fulford-Dobson says.
“It’s hard at first not to think of Afghan girls skateboarding as a remarkable clash of cultures. I think that’s what first grabbed my attention. It’s undeniably the first thought of many Western observers. However, when you first see the girls in action your preconceptions melt away – skating seems to come so naturally to them.”
The exhibition, by photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson, is on display in Sheffield. © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
“After I met the girls and learnt more about Skateistan’s various projects, I became excited about documenting the collaborative aspects of the project,” Fulford-Dobson tells The Weekly online. © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
“It’s about Afghans supporting Afghans and building up their own communities and support networks.” © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
“In Afghanistan men and women are segregated in any kind of official setting. All classes are single-sex, and older girls who have passed through the ranks at Skateistan teach the younger skaters.” © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
“So the project also embodies the idea of women supporting women. I found that exciting and inspiring.” © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
“In addition, I hoped I could bring more publicity to a genuinely positive story about Afghanistan through my photographs, and therefore help generate more support for Skateistan, the charity that was giving these girls this amazing opportunity.” © Jessica Fulford-Dobson
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