Photo by Jonathan Levinson.
A member of the Arabian Skaters does an ollie over a ledge. Photo by Jonathan Levinson.
At the time, skateboarding was an extremely foreign pastime to most people in Yemen, which meant that skateparks and skate shops were virtually non-existent. Begging adults leaving the country to buy them skate equipment was the only way Ryan and his friends could continue their shared love of the sport.“The kids would be amazed by us because a lot of them would think that we were using a Jinn [supernatural entity from islamic mythology] to levitate the skateboards into the air and we would all just laugh. But to the people in Yemen who had never seen anything like it, I’m sure it really did look like magic.”
Since then, a Saudi-led, internationally-backed coalition aimed at taking back Yemen has only made the situation bleaker for civilians. With constant air strikes and armed conflicts bringing the country to its knees, Yemen has become the Middle East’s poorest nation. Coupled with a civilian death toll reaching the ten thousands and displacement affecting millions, the country is going through what the United Nations described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.Ryan and his family were lucky enough to escape, but many of his friends and relatives are still suffering through the civil war. In the midst of all this, he remains hopeful.“When you look at places like Palestine, Afghanistan, and Yemen, what skateboarding does for the youth over there is extraordinary. It takes them away from drugs like Khat. It takes them away from extremism. If you get bitten by that skate bug, and you’re hooked on trying to land a certain trick, say a kickflip, guess what you’re gonna be doing every single day? You’re gonna be training to land that kickflip.”Ryan believes that putting a skateboard in the hands of every Middle Eastern child can do a world of good, especially now that skateboarding has become an olympic sport. He believes that the international recognition will give him and other Yemeni youth a chance to share the world stage and provide a better life for the people of a country ravaged by civil war.“Many of the skaters who had the means to leave did leave. The ones that are still in Yemen have stopped skateboarding. Either because their skateboards broke, or there were other priorities that come with war like securing safety, food, and medicine.”
Ryan and his friends skateboarding in the old city before the civil war. Photo courtesy if Ryan Sanabani.