Skate girls in Kabul

How was the idea and photographic project for Skate Girls in Kabul born?
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. We only seem to hear bleak news from Afghanistan, so it was really refreshing to read something so different and uplifting. I knew immediately that the Skate Girls of Kabul would be the perfect subject for me as a photographer. 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. 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 Afghan charity that was giving these girls this remarkable opportunity and some semblance of a childhood.
Was this the first time traveling to Afghanistan?
Yes it was, and although over the years we have heard about the country all the time in the news, I had no real sense of what to expect when I got there.
What were your reactions and thoughts regarding being a western woman once you were there?
Being a Westerner, a woman and alone working in Afghanistan was challenging in many ways. There were so many scenes that I longed to capture but couldn’t: I didn’t want to risk my actions being resented or my motives being misunderstood. I found Kabul was beautiful in many ways it’s surrounded by hills and on summer mornings the air is amazingly clear and fresh, full of the scent of roses that thrive in the climate. Less poetically, there was also the smell of tarmac because road surfacing was in full swing everywhere. Kabul is a vibrant, busy city full of markets and street traders, wheelbarrows and stalls groaning with mangoes, kiosks selling bread and boys selling ice-cream from red carts blasting out the tune to ‘Happy Birthday’ on mini-loudspeakers, noise and bustle everywhere and people generally just getting on with their lives. Unfortunately, my first visit fell during a particularly violent month that saw a number of Taliban attacks and bombings across the city, which was also quite challenging, the skate school had to be suspended for a few days due to the security so I was unable to complete the project on my first visit. So, I knew I would definitely have to come back to finish what I’d started, which I did in May 2014 in the wake of the historic Afghan elections. The fact that these children display such optimism, hope and exuberance in a country that has suffered terrible violence and conflict in recent years is just astounding. The poverty of the country is also something that cannot be ignored. In Afghanistan, 60 per cent of Skateistan students come from deprived backgrounds: some of them live on the street and many are displaced refugees from other regions in Afghanistan. The skate parks give these children the opportunity to have fun and really be carefree children for a few hours.
Which were the most beautiful moments and which were the most demoralising?
I was able to spend a few weeks with the skate girls and earn their trust. They forgot I was there most of the time. And even though I had to communicate through an interpreter, I began to see and appreciate their different personalities – in the way they spoke, how they dressed, how they moved, how they behaved with each other and, of course, in the way they skateboarded! The girls’ sense of identity was something I really wanted to capture. I didn’t style them at all: I took them just as they were when they hopped up onto the platform. It’s remarkable how you can really see their different personalities shine through; some outgoing, some more reticent, some smiling broadly, others a little more reserved. They really were such a joy to be around, all so unspoilt and great fun, lots of strong personalities, I feel very lucky to have met them. The moments spent with them were very uplifting. The most demoralising was on my return to Kabul in my final week, from photographing Skateistan’s brand new facility in the North of Afghanistan up in Mazar-e-Sharif, to find I could not complete my project, because the school in Kabul had to be suspended for a few days due to an increase in security with more Taliban attacks and bombings across the city. It was so frustrating, and apart from not being able to complete the work, I was also unable to say goodbye properly to the girls too. So when I left the city on that first visit I knew I’d be coming back to finish what I had started.

What did these young girls teach you and what were you able to teach them while you were photographing them?
They taught me that despite all the horrors that go on in this world of ours, in some of the most unlikeliest of places there are still good and great things going on, and we need to remember that and not be disillusioned by all the hard-hitting news we are continually saturated with in the media. Who would think I would come back from such a dangerous place so uplifted and inspired. Girls on skateboards, in dresses with scarves in full flow, in Afghanistan, who’d think! They taught me anything is possible! They taught me some of their language and even tried to teach me to skateboard, it is not easy and as I wobbled along I realised I was highly likely to fall off, and I did not want to risk breaking anything as I was realising I was photographing something rather important, so after one attempt and much laughter on their part I gave up and returned to my cameras and tripod!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! After I met the girls and learnt more about Skateistan’s various projects, I became excited about documenting the collaborative aspects of the project. 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 skate girls. So the project also embodies the idea of women supporting women. I found that exciting and inspiring. That said, it’s impossible to avoid how much joy and action there is as the girls whizz up, down and around the hall. One amazing thing about skateboarding is that it demonstrates – perhaps more than many other sports – just how tough and resilient these girls – or any girls – can be. They hurl themselves forward with unstoppable courage, and if they take a tumble they bounce right up again, running back to the queue and cheering on their friends. It’s a brilliant way to illustrate the strength, enthusiasm and positivity of young women in Afghanistan. Apart from a few words in English, I find it hard to think what I perhaps taught them. I think they were undoubtedly curious to see me, an unmarried woman on my own, visiting their country and busy working on this project about them and their school with this big camera! The necessary permissions from parents were sought, and any girls who did not want to be photographed weren’t. However, they all were keen to have a go behind the camera too looking through the lens, but actually in the end, they all appeared to really enjoy being in front of the camera having a chance to stand proudly showing off their favourite skateboards and their skills!
How do you view photography and what does it mean you personally?
Photography is a wonderful way to cross cultural divides and bring things together in a positive way. It is remarkable that these photographs have been so well received from all corners of the globe, proving there is no language barrier to photography, the silent power of pictures and their ability to move and touch people is a tremendous thing. And as long as humans continue to be curious about other humans, there will always be an eternal fascination and place for portrait photography. With photography I very much like to think I ‘find’ pictures rather than ‘take’ them.I think the Skate Girls series of portraits to me are not as much about reconciling the differences as about celebrating the similarities. Life for these skate girls is undeniably different in so many ways to that of their Western counterparts, but it’s also touchingly, heartbreakingly and amusingly the same. In these pictures you can see the girls clamouring to answer questions in class and whispering with their best friends. You can see the same expressions of serious concentration or mischievous disruption as you would find in any classroom anywhere in the world, or in the skate park, you can hear them giggling as they queue up to take their turn on the ramps. After the huge success of the London Saatchi Gallery launch of the Skate Girls Of Kabul exhibition, it is now preparing for a US launch in New York, before then embarking on a global tour. I hope that the joy, freedom and excitement you can see in the pictures of these girls is contagious. I hope the images stay with the visitors and encourage them not to forget the girls in Afghanistan and to actively support wonderful ventures such as Skateistan so they can carry on with their amazing work.

SKATE GIRLS OF KABUL

Photography:

Interview: