Three skaters. One continent. A journey powered by grit, kindness, and a dream to build Africa’s biggest skatepark
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Some people cross Africa by plane. Others by bus. But Jason Vanporppal and his crew? They chose wheels that demand balance, bruises, and belief. From Kampala, Uganda to Cape Town, South Africa this trio is not just chasing distance, they’re chasing impact.
Vanporppal, from Los Angeles, rolls alongside Isaac Huston and Ephraim Ssekiziyivu, both from Uganda, on a mission that sounds almost cinematic: skate approximately 6437 km
across Africa and build the continent’s biggest skatepark. But beneath the audacity is something quieter, a deep respect for the communities they meet.
“Our mission is to build the biggest Skatepark in Africa and to help the youth all over the continent,” Vanporppal said in an interview.
THE AFRICA YOU DON’T SEE ON SCREENS
Forget the headlines and half-told stories. Africa, they say, is rewriting itself in real time beneath their wheels.
“Africa has revealed to me so many different things… The number one thing is the kindness, the joy that everyone has,” he reflected. “There is fear that people still have if they’re not from Africa… something that can be far enough from the truth.”
Every push forward dismantles a stereotype. Every stop becomes a lesson in generosity.
MUD, GRIT, AND GLORY
Not every stretch has been poetic. Tanzania tested them, hard.
“Tanzania was the hardest route, we believe we took a difficult route, skateboarding and mud and long stretch of dirt roads. It was definitely unforgiving,” he admits. “Those moments may have been bad but they were the best memories for us to share.”
Pain, it turns out, makes for the best stories.
BOTSWANA: WHERE THE HEART STAYS
If the road has been tough, Botswana has been tender.
“Botswana has been amazing. And people are super nice. We love it here,” Vanporppal said, almost beaming through his words.
The memories? They’re not just of roads and the scenery, but of people — school kids, shared meals and unexpected invitations.
He said, “The main thing we will remember for the rest of our lives is the impact that the people of Botswana have had on us.”
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
Cape Town is close now. But this isn’t an ending, it’s a blueprint.
The dream is bigger than one park, one country, one ride. It’s about giving young people something to hold onto, something that keeps them moving forward, literally and metaphorically.
UNEXPECTED TURN
This week, the trio was expected to roll into South Africa, but the journey has taken an unexpected logistical turn.
“The two guys had to fly back to Uganda because they need to apply for their visas, then meet me back up. As a US citizen, I’m able to go into South Africa visa-free, so I will be pushing to Johannesburg solo, heading towards Lobatse and entering the border from there, going towards Zeerust. I will meet them in Johannesburg,” Vanporppal explained.
Because even when the crew splits and the road gets lonelier, the mission doesn’t slow down, it just finds a new line forward, one push at a time.