Timor-Leste
‘There aren’t many street spots to skate in Dili because it’s so hard to find a smooth ground surface.’
Michael Lee
Member
TIMOR SKATE
March 2023
Tell us something about Timor people do not know?
Timor-Leste, or East Timor is a small island country located in Southeast Asia between Indonesia and Australia. It is one of the newest countries in the world that has just proclaimed its independence in 2002 after about 400 years of Indonesian and Portuguese dominations. Regardless of its painful history, Timorese people are very generous, optimistic, and friendly advocates of harmony.
Tell us something about yourself?
My name is Michael Lee and I’m from South Korea. I came to Timor-Leste with my family when I was 13. I got to know skateboarding here and grew up skating with my local and international friends. Thanks to my unique school life, I’m very fluent in Tetun, Bahasa Indonesia, and Portuguese. I’m currently in the graduating year of the Bachelor’s degree of English Education at the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL) and also majoring Business Administration at UoPeople of the US via online. My dream is to build my own skatepark so that everyone can have fun skating.
‘Regardless of its painful history, Timorese people are very generous, optimistic, and friendly advocates of harmony.’
How big is the skate community in Timor?
There is only one skate community here in Dili, the capital city of Timor. We used to have more than 50 skaters including the kids from the Ba Futuru Center but now we only have a few people left. A lot of them quit skating because they lost their motivation and it’s so hard to buy skateboards here in Dili. I also heard that the majority of skate gears provided from the center broke or gone bad after the flooding last year. But we are trying hard to push through this difficult time of global pandemic, and I hope there will be an increase of the skate community from now on since the situation is getting slightly better here. Many thanks to Timor Skate’s support with the new skate gears and new skatepark project!
What are some of the best skate spots in Timor?
There aren’t many street spots to skate in Dili because it’s so hard to find a smooth ground surface. But to name a few, we have Palacio, the old Portuguese Embassy, and a recently built Habibie Park. These places are the best spots we can skate in Timor.
Are there any official skate parks?
Yes, there’s one skatepark in Ba Futuru Center in Tasi Tolu. But this park wasn’t built by professional skatepark designers, so the obstacles are kind of too gnarly for the skaters to learn and practice. The park has been fixed a few years ago by an Australian volunteer Owen Morton, but now there are holes and cracks everywhere, making it even harder and more dangerous for kids to skate safely.
‘Seeing them rip on cracked concrete in 30-degree heat with well-worn gear is really inspiring, and I can only imagine how they’ll flourish if we can help them build a safe, high-quality skatepark.’
Nick Oates
Founder
TIMOR SKATE
Is the government involved in the skate community?
The Olympic Committee of Timor-Leste organized a federation for skateboarding and rollerblades recently. They haven’t made any official involvement in the community yet. My friends and I just began to get in touch with the officials to talk about any possible government supports for new portable skate obstacles and a public square to install them and skate.
How difficult is it to access skateboard gear?
Unfortunately, we have no skate shop available in Timor at all. We have to borrow skateboards from Ba Futuru for an hour or two during the daytime, or buy skateboards personally from Indonesia or Australia. But buying skateboards from abroad is very limited if you don’t have any family or relatives living there.
Can you tell us about ‘Timor Skate,’ and what triggered support for Timor’s skate scene over in Australia?
Nick, a skater from Melbourne, used to visit Timor-Leste a couple of times a year as part of his work. He started skating with the locals at the park at Ba Futuru, and bringing over gear – he could see how passionate the local skaters were and how hard they were working to build a scene, with limited access to gear and skate spots. A couple of years ago he brought a friend with him, Wade, a skatepark designer who has worked on parks all around the world, and he wanted to help out too. So they’ve been working with a group of friends to raise money to build a new park, and have also shipped over more gear and organized a skate comp to help create some opportunities for the skaters. You can read more about them at timorskate.org
Can you tell us about ‘Timor Skate,’ and what triggered support for Timor’s skate scene over in Australia?
Nick Oates: I was lucky enough to head over to Dili a couple of times per year in a former job. While visiting, I started to get to know some of the local skaters, and also Ba Futuru, the non-government organisation that hosts the current skatepark. I was really impressed by the passion of the local crew, and how talented they were given the very challenging conditions they face, both in terms of skateable terrain, and access to gear. A mutual friend introduced me to Wade, who has designed and worked on hundreds of skateparks in Australia, but more importantly, on volunteer skatepark projects in places like Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Morocco and Libya. He was similarly inspired to get involved so joined me on a visit to work with the locals on a design for a new park, and our friends Alys, Nev and Scott also put their hands up to start up a formal organisation to see what we can help to make happen.
There’s a long history of international people who’ve helped to support the Timorese skate scene in various ways. People like Justin Kaliszewski, Sean Borrell and Christian Serrano who worked alongside the locals to build the current park, and others like Owen Morton and Hannah Illingworth (fellow Aussies) and Brett Nichols who have spent some time in Dili in recent years, helping to do some fixes and showing love in other ways. And Barb and Marc Godfrey have also been big supporters over many years, helping to gather gear for local use. Then there are Australian organisations getting involved. Decks for Change and Wonders Around the World have put in a huge effort with fundraising for the new park, and Globe and Modus have been really generous helping with new gear.
‘We’re also really excited to have received a grant from The Goodpush Alliance, through which we’ve been able to set up a skateboard program officer role based at Ba Futuru.’
Nick Oates
Founder
TIMOR SKATE
We’re also really excited to have received a grant from The Goodpush Alliance, through which we’ve been able to set up a skateboard program officer role based at Ba Futuru. Jinho has just started in the role but is already running regular sessions and lessons that are attracting new people to try out skating, and bringing others back in who drifted away over recent years for various reasons.
These are just the names and organisations that spring to mind from my recent involvement, and I’m sure there are many more that should be acknowledged. As one of our closest neighbours, there’s a lot of goodwill between Timorese and Australian communities, so it’s not surprising to see support for the scene from this side of the Timor Sea.
My experience and observations? Some of the funniest skate sessions I’ve had over the past few years have been with the Dili crew. I’ve skated for decades with no shortage of amazing skatespots and access to whatever gear I need, but their skating absolutely puts mine to shame – seeing them rip on cracked concrete in 30-degree heat with well-worn gear is really inspiring, and I can only imagine how they’ll flourish if we can help them build a safe, high- quality skatepark. It’s great seeing how the older skaters support the up and comers, and how much joy everyone shares when anyone learns a new trick. The future’s looking bright for skating in Dili!
Last question: If you could interview a person, who would it be and why? What would you ask?
Nick Oates: I would interview Azefio for sure. He’s my old friend, one of the first local skaters who got involved in skateboarding since Ba Futuru opened the skatepark. He’s also very keen to be part of any projects and events that is related to skateboarding and I can tell he’s a man of fire for skateboarding. A question I would want to ask him is what has driven him so hard to keep skating, and what he hopes for the future plans to promote youth extreme sports in Timor-Leste.
