Maputo, Mozambique & Miami, Florida USA
Shredders
In our technological and globalized world, cultures are constantly mixing, exchanging, and evolving. In an effort to create even more exchange, a youth group in the Khongolote Bairro of Maputo, Mozambique began corresponding via videos with a group of youth in the city of Miami, Florida, USA. Through ongoing exchange, the two groups share their respective culture and community. In addition to video correspondence, each group creates public art.
Maputo, Mozambique
MAPUTO
The youth in Khongolote are all members of Maputo Skate, an organization providing free access to skateboarding and education through a skatepark build by Wonders Around the World and Skate World Better, a loaner board program supported by Donate For Skate and Make Life Skate Life and classes run by Francisco Vinho. After workshops and discussions between the kids in Maputo and artist Pat Perry, it was decided a skateboarder wearing a bag full of books would be the most appropriate representation.
The skateboarder is surrounded by all the ideas and images the youth of Khongolote dreamed up, including mini ramps, skatepark pockets, skateboards, hopscotch, machambas (gardens), capulanas and tons of other imagery. The artwork and the wall were shared with the students in Miami at The Cushman School who continued their correspondence and created a mural of their own. The wall faces traffic on a main street of the Khongolote Bairro, expressing new elements of youth culture in Maputo to all who pass by. Emad Rashidi was on the scene, so look out for his film at the end of the year. Huge thanks to Rosemary Brown and for all the support!
Miami, Florida, USA
MIAMI
The children from Kyle Mullen’s 9th grade “Society and Me” class at the Cushman School in Miami, Florida USA spoke on zoom calls with the children at Maputo Skate in Maputo, Mozambique. They discovered commonalties in their food, environment and culture. Coconut trees, the ocean, beaches, manioca or yuca, futbol as well as many other interests were discussed. Skate boards were a meaningful connection between the two groups.
During their zoom call, the shredders at Maputo Skate filed their requests for designs which the Children in Miami custom painted on skate boards donated by Heart Supply Skateboards and Rolling Thunder Supply through Make Life Skate lIfe, a non-profit organization that works to create community-built skateparks around the world. These boards were later delivered to the Maputo Skate group in Mozambique. The amazing results are seen below in the photos taken by Samantha Robison.
For the Mural, the children made stencils symbolizing their Miami culture and the commonalities shared by youth that live 8303 miles apart. These were added to the mural which was painted by artist Emmanuel Jarus. The mural represents the love of sports that the children share and how through sports, cultures come together. No matter how different their daily lives, the love of competition and admiration of skill, connects people across oceans and links their worlds.
This project was made possible by funding from the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique.
