Ethiopia’s Skateboarding Community Sends a Love Letter to “The Streets, Our Playground”

Self-taught Ethiopian skateboarders and photographers gear up to debut their photography exhibition “The Streets, Our Playground.” The photographers are pictured from left to right: Ruel Desta, Bamlak Tesfa and Yared Gobezie. Images courtesy of Yared Gobezie, Ruel Desta, and Bamlak Tesfa. Photo illustration by Kaushik Kalidindi.

Self-taught skateboarders turned self-taught photographers Yared Gobezie, Ruel Desta, and Bamlak Tesfa are gearing up for the debut of the joint venture that gave them their chosen family. The Streets, Our Playground is a photography exhibition set to reflect the beauty and resilience of Ethiopia’s young and ever-expanding community of skateboarders. Just last year, the women-led cohort Ethiopian Girl Skaters gained international attention, for how organically and delightfully the community of young girls found each other through skateboarding. Now, the men representing this small but dedicated group of skaters have ventured into new creative territories to reflect the love and collective care they’ve been exposed to, sending it right back into the community itself. Read more