Ghana’s first skatepark, the Freedom Skatepark, has reportedly been forced to close down two years after being in operation.
According to a report by complex.com, the Freedom Skatepark which is owned by the late American-born Ghanaian fashion designer and entrepreneur, Virgil Abloh, has been closed down due to challenges by “outside contractors”.
The report was based on a social media post shared by Wole Olosunde, a designer and native New Yorker, who said Abloh's Freedom Skate Park has been shuddered after a contractor built a cement wall to keep skaters out.
"Finally got to visit FREEDOM, the skate park Virgil Abloh built in Accra, Ghana. One of his last projects before he passed. I left heartbroken and confused. Cause why tf is no one talking about or fighting for this?" he wrote on Instagram.
The New York-based designer asked why someone would destroy the park which became a home to many Ghanaian skaters.
He alleged that it was a business owner who "built a cement wall then poured sand through the park to keep all skaters out" almost a year ago.
“It has been like this for almost a full year, leaving these kids with nowhere to skate. To the point they built their own temporary skate park to be able to keep spreading the love of skating and building community."
Olosunde asked why authorities and the public are quiet about the closure of the park which the late Virgil Abloh spent huge amount of resources to build.
GhanaWeb reported in May 2023 that the park which was one of the few places the Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, visited on her state visit to Ghana in March 2023, had indefinitely closed.
According to a tweet by a verified page, BlacVolta, on Twitter, it stated that the park had been closed due to a land dispute.
“Accra's first community-built skateboard park, Freedom Skatepark has been closed indefinitely due to a land dispute that has put the park's future in jeopardy.
“The dispute arose after a party claimed ownership of the land where the skatepark is located and allegedly started building a wall to block access to the site without notice or explanation,” the tweet said.
The tweet added that the owner of the park had to take to social media to appeal for help on how to get his park safe from the intrusion from people.
“The owner of Freedom Skatepark, @Rooky_Rider, took to Instagram to call for help from the community, asking for contacts to help save the skatepark, as well as ratings on Google and donations to pay for legal fees.
“The closure of the park has caused concern among skateboarders and the local community, who see the park as an important space for youth engagement and healthy activity,” it added.
Another tweet, credited to Rightify Ghana, showed a news clip from TV3 where it was reported that this venue was stormed by an anti-LGBTQ+ group, claiming that the place has been “disguised in the name of skating” but serves as a headquarters for the gay community in Ghana.
The tweet added that the anti-gay group, known as the Islamic Youth for Peace, has called on the police to swoop in on the venue at Shiashie.
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The late Virgil Abloh built the Freedom Skatepark in 2022