SkatePal recently celebrated 10 years of their largest concrete skatepark by launching the Asira10 capsule.

Located in the village of Asira Ash-Shamaliya, on a hillside just outside Nablus, the skatepark has become much more than a place to skate. Over the past 10 years, it has grown into a meeting point, a community space, and a symbol of what grassroots skateboarding can build over time.

Denia from our team, had a talk with Kilani Mahmoud and Charlie Davies from Skateboarding.PS and SkatePal to get a better understanding of what the skatepark means for the community, what inspired this collection and what it is like being a skater in Palestine.
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Hey guys, thanks for taking the time! Could you tell us about the new clothing capsule and what inspired it?
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‍Our new Asira10 capsule celebrates 10 years of Rosa Park in Asira ash-Shamaliya. It incorporates graffiti by both the local skaters and international volunteers, reflecting the wider skateboard community spirit at the park. 

The designs are so cool! Can you tell us more about the stories behind those visuals?
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‍The graffiti was done by both the local community and the international skaters. Most are original designs done over the years. One of them, the ‘Handala’ tee features a reworked version of the famous cartoon character created in 1969 by Palestinian political satirist, Naji Al-Ali, which has since become an iconic symbol of resistance.

The artwork on our ‘Wink’ tee can still be seen at Asira park and originally stems from a series of vinyl car decals spotted on car windows across Palestine. The others, we just really liked!

I love how you’ve found ways to combine symbols seen around the skatepark, honouring the people who shaped it, with symbols of Palestinian resistance, and incorporated them into your designs. Respect! What role has the skatepark played in the community over the past decade?
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The skatepark has become a focal point in the community where people come together and hang out. Hundreds of international volunteers have skated and given classes at the park, making friends with the skaters and their families that attend the sessions, creating a large network across the world. Many of these volunteers have come back several times which builds a sense of continuity in the Asira skate scene. Families also come up and have picnics and sit to watch the sun set from the park so we are very happy that it has become a community hand out spot.

 I hope I’ll get to visit the park one day! Sessions at the park are run by Skateboarding.PS - SkatePal’s local partner. Can you explain to us how this partnership works and how did SkatePal and Skateboarding.PS start working together?
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‍SkatePal had been running classes and hosting volunteers in Asira for a number of years. As the local scene grew, Kliani established the organisation Skateboarding.PS, which began taking on more of the day-to-day running of classes and supporting the skaters locally after the war began in 2023. During a time of instability and isolation, SBPS shifted from being just a platform into a community-driven initiative. By organising consistent sessions and supporting young skaters, we wanted to rebuild momentum with the help of SkatePal when everything else felt uncertain.

Such important work you guys are doing. What does the work that Skateboarding.PS looks like from week to week?
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There are regular skate sessions at the park, where young people can come and learn the basics, practice together and borrow equipment. Skateboarding.PS also runs workshops and events that bring the community together and give the skaters more opportunities to progress.

The answer might seem obvious here, but could you tell us about some of the challenges involved in building and sustaining a skate scene in Palestine?
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Access to spaces, equipment and funding is always a challenge, and movement between cities can make it difficult for skaters to meet and grow the scene together. Despite this, people keep showing up, sharing boards and building the community step by step.

The biggest challenge we face is trying to get skateboards into Gaza. We are working to collaborate with larger NGOs that could potentially help get boards into Gaza but it is extremely difficult.

This is something that Skateistan has been actively working on. It’s incredibly sad to see how difficult this seems to be, for many reasons. This year we also launched our collaboration (Skateistan x SkatePal x Skateboarding.PS) to support skateboarding in Palestine. What does this partnership mean to you?
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It is wonderful to see Skateistan and SkatePal come together in support of skateboarding in Palestine. SkatePal has always been there for our community, and Skateistan gives valuable experience and inspiration, bringing more strength and opportunities to continue growing skateboarding in Palestine.

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What’s something that people should know about skateboarding in Palestine?
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It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: skateboarding in Palestine is very different from the western idea of skateboarding. In the West, it is often connected to a certain image of destruction, rebellion, radness and thrashing things. Here, it has become much more about building, sustaining and creating; creating spaces, community and something that can last.

What are your hopes for the next 10 years of the Asira skatepark?

‍We hope the park continues to be a place where more young people can discover skateboarding, make friends and take the lead in their own community. It would be great to see the local scene keep growing, with more skaters teaching, organising and inspiring the next generation of skaters.

I’m also curious about how people from the local community see skateboarding, especially those who knew little about it before SkatePal arrived.

‍The local community has always been welcoming of skateboarding. It is still quite new in Palestine, only having been around for about 11 years, but more people are seeing it in action and recognising the positive impact it has on young people.

As it should be! Speaking of community, is there a message you’d like to share with the global skate community?
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Keep supporting local scenes and making space for people who might not otherwise have access to skateboarding. The connections made through skating can have a real and lasting impact.

And lastly, could you tell us what skateboarding means to you in one sentence?
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Skateboarding is a way to build freedom, confidence and community.

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us and for giving us a deeper insight into your work in Palestine.‍

For anyone who would like to support their work, check out the latest capsule here or become a Citizen of Skateistan through this link, as we continue working to create safe spaces in some of the most difficult contexts around the world.
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Capsule designed by SkatePal (@skate_pal).

Original graffiti by Michael Tumani, Charles Myatt, Allai Abou-Chaker, George Gunn, Lizzie Heath, Arthur Bonal and the local skaters at Asira Ash-Shamaliya Skatepark.

Interview by Denia Kopita

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