Writer Wale Oloworekende speaks to a range of Lagosian skaters about the importance of community, the social and structural challenges they face, and their dreams of Lagos’ first dedicated skate park which is slated to open later this year.
It’s a hot April Saturday afternoon in Surulere, Lagos. A collection of BMX riders, rollerbladers, and dancers are earnestly practicing on the uneven concrete surface of a foyer at the National Stadium. Rookie bikers collide into rollerbladers and vice versa as they navigate make-shift obstacles that have been erected to spice up their routines. To the left of this cramped space, a small group of skateboarders try out kickflips and ollies. 21-year-old Boluwatife Omotoso sits on the periphery of the frenzy, observing the action after spending the last 20 minutes working through a series of tricks on his skateboard.
Affectionately known as Bvrna to his friends, Boluwatife has been skating at the National Stadium since 2021 after a fallout with his pro football team left him disillusioned with team sports. “It’s my own thing,” he says on his decision to get into skating. “When you are skating, it’s just you and your board. You don’t have to answer to anybody, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s schedule. You can skate anytime you want to. You can have fun and do whatever you want.”
“When you are skating, it’s just you and your board. You don’t have to answer to anybody.”
The DIY attitude that Boluwatife describes has been critical to the transformation of Lagos’ skating scene from an underground community to a burgeoning subculture over the last ten years. So has the pioneering work of WAFFLESNCREAM. Co-founded in 2012 by Jomi Marcus-Bello and some friends, WAFFLESNCREAM is Nigeria’s first skateboarding company, selling products and creating an important hub for skate culture in Lagos. Conceived during Jomi’s time studying in Leeds in the U.K., WAFFLESNCREAM has grown exponentially since its foundation: the organization has developed an informal skating structure centered around educational events and skating outreaches that has been critical for young Lagosians looking to get on the scene. The company has also set up a flagship store, cementing its presence in Africa’s most populous city.
“I started WAFFLESNCREAM because I feel like we were not being represented properly. I wanted to tell a story of Lagos through skateboarding,” says Jomi over Zoom. “Through skateboarding, you can feel the environment of the country. You also get to meet the most amazing people. I think that’s what WAFFLESNCREAM is. We just want to communicate our fabric, our design, social life, and politics through skateboarding.”
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