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Skate culture in Qalqilya

The first skate ramp in occupied Palestine a dream come true for young people into rollerblading, skating and parkour.

Designed and built by the Dubai-based contemporary art organisation Tashkeel, the ramp opened in 2013 on a piece of land annexed to the zoo and donated by the municipality.
Designed and built by the Dubai-based contemporary art organisation Tashkeel, the ramp opened in 2013 on a piece of land annexed to the zoo and donated by the municipality.
By 
Silvia Boarini
3 Mar 2015
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Qalqilya, Palestine – It was 2013 when Qalqilya’s skate ramp, the first in occupied Palestine, finally opened. Built and designed by the Dubai-based art organisation Tashkeel on land donated by the municipality, the ramp quickly became the natural home of the X-Games Team, a group of young people with a shared passion for rollerblading, skating and parkour.

Located in the north of the West Bank, the city of Qalqilya is better known for being nearly wholly encircled by Israel’s separation wall, with only two openings connecting it to the rest of the West Bank. In this context, hip-hop, skate and parkour subcultures are helping to draw a new map that sees Qalqilya closely linked to like-minded youths throughout Palestine and beyond.

For Sajed Abu Ulbeh the ramp is a dream come true. A founding member of the Qalqilya X-Games, he was 10 years old when he was handed his first pair of skates and has been working to establish a skate club and academy in Qalqilya ever since.

A barber by profession, Abu Ulbeh first attempted to open a skate club in 2010. The venture proved financially unsustainable and closed after only three months but not before the X-Games Team was formed and the streets of Qalqilya forever changed.

“It took a while for people to understand what we were trying to do,” Abu Ulbeh told Al Jazeera. “We just wanted a safe place for kids to meet but there is a conservative mindset here.”

X-Games had more luck in 2011 when a chance encounter with film-makers Adam Abel and Mohammed Othman, who are making a documentary on the Team, led to Tashkeel’s involvement.

X-Games gained further local acceptance last January when the Qalqilya Association for Environment and Social Protection became involved in the ramp, providing insurance and skates for the team and marking a fundamental change in attitudes towards the youth.

Ala'a, Sajed, Obeyda and Eihab rehearse tricks at the ramp. 'Qalqilya is a little religious and conservative so some things are prohibited but people are getting more and more used to us,' Sajed Abu Ulbeh said.
Ala'a, Sajed, Obeyda and Eihab rehearse tricks at the ramp. 'Qalqilya is a little religious and conservative so some things are prohibited but people are getting more and more used to us,' Sajed Abu Ulbeh said.
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Although X-Games members are aware that it is still uncommon to see teenage girls and boys interacting in Qalqilya, they hope to soon welcome their first female members.
Although X-Games members are aware that it is still uncommon to see teenage girls and boys interacting in Qalqilya, they hope to soon welcome their first female members.
Skates are a rare sight in Qalqilya.
Skates are a rare sight in Qalqilya.
Construction of the ramp has taken skaters off the streets and improved relations with the local police.
Construction of the ramp has taken skaters off the streets and improved relations with the local police.
In the context of Israel's ongoing occupation and local religious conservatism, the ramp represents an oasis of freedom for the youth.
In the context of Israel's ongoing occupation and local religious conservatism, the ramp represents an oasis of freedom for the youth.
The X-Games' T-shirts were designed by member Mohammed Khdroj.
The X-Games' T-shirts were designed by member Mohammed Khdroj.
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Abdullah, 16, has made the ramp his second home.
Abdullah, 16, has made the ramp his second home.
Mohammed and Ala'a take a break by the ramp.
Mohammed and Ala'a take a break by the ramp.
Eihab, 14, has been practising Parkour for the past 4 years.
Eihab, 14, has been practising Parkour for the past 4 years.
Skateboarding on the ramp.
Skateboarding on the ramp.
X-Games Team members practise at the ramp.
X-Games Team members practise at the ramp.
'This is my dream come true,' Abu Ulbeh said.
'This is my dream come true,' Abu Ulbeh said.

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