🛹 Kick, push, revolution

In Addis Ababa, the sound of progress isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s as quiet as the rumble of skateboard wheels on uneven pavement.

Say hello to Ethiopia's first generation of female skateboarders. These young women are turning empty parking lots into arenas of self-expression in a country where skateboarding—and women’s sports more broadly—are still exceedingly rare.

It started with a little curiosity... Until recently, skating in Ethiopia was mostly a boys game. But following a civil war that devastated the country until 2022, Edomawit Ashebir and her friends turned to skating as a way to find fun, release, and freedom.

• The women learned from online videos and word-of-mouth lessons. Now, Addis Girls Skate is an official group that's adding members by the day.

For the women, it goes beyond grinds and kickflips. In a conservative society where girls are often expected to stay on the sidelines, skateboarding offers freedom in motion and a little rebellion. Their skateboards can become both a vehicle and a voice, in a nation where mobility is often restricted.

• “As a girl, you carry so much responsibility. You can’t just be with your friends without worrying about something,” said Makdelina Desta, one of the founders of Addis Girls Skate. “But when I skate, I’m not pretending to be someone else. That’s when I’m truly myself. I don’t feel judged."

But challenges remain: They include limited access to gear, skepticism from older generations, and social pressure to “act proper.” Still, the community keeps growing, buoyed by social media clips that have made Ethiopia’s skater girls a global inspiration.