| 7 October 2009 |
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Khule Nia was up In Johannesburg for a few days to film and hang out. Here's a conversation with one of SA's young rookies.
Age?
15
Hometown?
Durban
Sponsors?
Iron Fist, DC (flow) and Volcom (flow).
Who do you normally roll with down in Durban?
Damn... I skate by myself a lot, but Braxton Haine lives down the street from me, so I session with him quite a lot... Dlamini Dlamini and all the other locals: Gary (McNaughton)... ah, let’s see... Yann (Horrowitz), Khulu (Dlamini), and then all the OG’s like Andrew Morck, ah... Snoopy, Ken... yea, all those other cats.
So do you think the Durban scene is pretty united or do you find it’s divided into different crews that don’t really mix?
Everyone’s just on their own mission in Durban. It’s like crews and I guess as a newcomer, like I always find myself just rolling around by my house, skating some stairs or som’n by myself.
So how did you get into skating, how did it all start for you?
Ha - it’s pretty funny: I watched X-Games, really digged it, thought it was so easy, um... and then I bought Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. That was end of 2005... it’s gonna be my 4th year skating on my birthday, the 16h of December, so I’m really psyched that’s how I started skating.
Noway... so you’re a real 90’s kid! I guess it doesn’t really matter how you get into it, you’re in it now you know?
Yea.
What is your experience of skating as someone who’s been involved for less than 4 years now in a scene that’s been going for over 20 years in this country? Having seen some of the older AV’s and Sessions etc, and realizing how much has gone down before you even thought about skating, how has this influenced you and how do you see things in this country?
It’s really hyped, cause like if it wasn’t for all these AV videos and Session Mag, I wouldn’t be as amped. All I really had access to when I started was like the bonus footage on that Tony Hawk game so that’s the only thing I watched. So it was cool to see local stuff... like I’d check footage of Moses and Braxton and them and get so amped to skate. So yea, I think that really helped... South African videos. We just got our own flavor... I reckon we should stop looking at other countries (like the grass it greener) and start focusing on our skating.
Khule Nia Backside 360 Ollie, The Volcano, Fourways, Johannesburg, South Africa
So where do you think we compared the rest of the world, cause to me it seems we are still quite far behind... but then again, they also have a whole different kinda motivation because of money and salaries and stuff like that. You can make a proper career of it there as opposed to here. And yet there still seems to be more of an interest in local skating from SA skaters... like say you take a local video as opposed to an American video, there seems to be a more of an appeal from the kids to watch the local video, even though the international videos may be better?
Well, OK - let’s just focus on one thing... America is a big place, it’s huge. There’s a lot of skaters and pro’s and they’re showing the best pro’s and am’s in those videos, they not showing like the average skaters. They are probably like just like us, it’s just that they’re showing the guys that blow up so...
There is a difference between our local pro’s / sponsored dudes and normal skaters here too, but there it’s like there just more opportunities of, like you said, getting paid and more spots. Most the spots we have here are rough, like the handrail we skated yesterday (Randburg sports grounds rail)... like, a lot of O’s wouldn’t skate that much you know. They’d be like: Hey dude, it’s just not perfect. Most O’s would just leave it. So I’d say any South African skater around my age, at a learning age of skating, 15 - 16, could probably go out there and get on their level because if you see all the different types of skating and perfect / different spots, that’s gonna get you amped and you just going to try stuff you haven’t tried before and push you way more. I think we just climbing the ladder to their level. They’re getting higher and we just trying to catch up... which is good. There is a big gap though... I actually get what you say’n.
Do you think it will ever get as big over here as it is in the States and Europe? Even Australia has a massive scene... I’d estimate we have a total of around 10,000 skaters here in South Africa and I totally believe there should be way more. What do you think it will take to develop our scene into something substantial - like over 100,000 or more?
I think just getting skating out there... cause people think skating’s just on a whole negative. For me, I skate for God, and it really works for me and stuff like that. So I say we should just go out there, go to townships and areas that are not exposed to skating, and just build little skate spots and show people a side to skateboarding, cause it’s just so fun. Like when you just bombing a hill, just cruising, popping an ollie... you just feel like, I don’t know... stress free, like no-one can stop you, this is your space, it’s your time just to chill and have fun, like we all should do when you skate you know?
I think that’s the appeal for most kids, is just the freedom you know? I think it’s impossible to put a skateboard in front of a kid and for them not to like it.
Yea.
So I think what’s missing here is we need to get more kids exposed to skateboarding, especially in the developing areas, and to create free public spaces for them to skate and express themselves. I think those are the 2 essential missing ingredients to making this work. Not skate parks, but just free, localized public spaces where kids can skate in their own areas.
Yea. Yea... but we do need people that are motivated and willing to actually go and say: OK - talk to the manager / local councils etc. and make it happen. Just a nice pair of stairs, a ledge, rail... that’s what you need to make it kinda street, make it real and free. That’s why Pavillion’s good and it’s indoors so it’s like the perfect park, you know I love that park - I skate it like all the time. Friday come there at like 2 o’clock, I’ll leave at 10... Saturday I’ll come at 10, I’ll leave at 10 at night... just practicing and having fun. People think it’s stupid cause when they see me I just keep on skating, keep on skating, keep on skating... and they just don’t understand that I’m having fun. They’re like: Dude, don’t you get bored? I’m like: Not when you trying new tricks.
Yea, that’s what a lot of people will never understand until they know for themselves... when you skate and zone in... you don’t feel time, you just so focused and so in the moment, you just go till you can’t go anymore.
Mmm... yea. U huh.
You said you lived in Johannesburg, then moved down to Durban. Tell us a bit about your past - like where you grew up...
Uh... Grew up in Durban (laughs), mostly all my life... Came up here (Jozi)... went back down to Durban, basically. That’s the beginning, that’s the end... I don’t really want to go into details hey (laughs).
So this is the first time you’ve really been up to Jozi to skate?
Yea - proper street. Other times I’ve only jammed park because, you know, I wasn’t sponsored, I was too young, I couldn’t afford anything and my mom wasn't real keen into the whole skating thing... so...
Khule Nia Nollie Tre, Rivonia, Johannesburg, South Africa
And so what do you think about skateboarding in Joburg then?
Flip - skateboarding in Joburg is hype man! Like, stuff like going filming yesterday... I was just so keen even though I had like the hardest bails ever! I was just hyped... I’m like: Lets go to the next spot Clint, come on! Let’s just roll up and just, you know, just keep on, have fun. That was the main thing cause, new spots just get you hyped. When you used to the same old spots you kinda get over them. When it’s something new, new flavor you know... New place like Joburg... hey, I’m keen to skate. You know, some people, locals may think it’s same old, but to me it’s exciting cause I don’t really live here and stuff like that. It’s a blessing on it’s own for me to come up here and have so much fun, get so much footage down and stuff like that.
Alright, so what are your plans looking forward from here?
Finishing school (laughs). Um... maybe I can become a pro skater one day (laughs). Well, not really like thinking about that. I want to go to America when I’m 21, or London or anything like that, just travel, just try it out there. Just figure like school, studies and skating, but... any injury can happen so I got to have a plan B... you know? So I’ll just focus on my plan A for now; that’s just: Love God, uh, just skate and have fun and, just grow in skating, you know, be humble... even if I do blow up one day. So... just wanna chill, and hope we can all skate together one day. Yea.
Any shout outs to anyone?
Hey... all my Durban cats, my parents, Dave at Iron Fist, Lloyd at Volcom, Andrew and Pat at DC, thanks so much... big help man. Clayton from Revo, Bod from Session and you, Clint and AV... shot to you guys for doing what you guys do.
Interview by Clint van der Schyf
AV Skateboarding
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