SLΛIM

to avoid paying a construction fee, jack mubiru, father of the skateboarding scene in uganda, fabricated a story about building a private enclosure for a pet crocodile. most local officials and neighborhood residents had never heard of skateboarding. yet six years later, the sport has spread from the skate park to the streets, attracting everyone from young children to women. photographer yann gross, who always takes his deck with him on his world travels, by chance encountered a group of skaters in kitintale, a suburb of kampala, who had built the first and only half pipe in uganda. he ended up spending several months with the skaters, becoming a full member of the group, documenting in the process a unique skate culture that, given the area’s contingencies, has styles and tricks all its own. text adapted from joel vacheron and julie bosman