YAMA – Surf Ghana
Yama Premiere Kicks Off In Sydney.
Q. So Lucy, tell us how the film came about.
Yama started when a friend of mine, Michelle (a Ghanaian princess), gave me a brass bangle from Ghana almost a decade ago. I’ve always worn it knowing that one day I’d finally make it to West Africa. I followed an instagram account called Surf Ghana that looked like they have a lot of fun. They have a skatepark called Freedom Skatepark and a girls skate club and a girls surf club. So when Project Blank approached me to see if I wanted to partner with them to make a film, I knew that finally, it was my chance to go to Ghana!
Q. Who was involved in the project?
I joined forces with British filmmaker Maddie Meddings and we went to Ghana for a whirlwind two and a half week trip. We hung out with Sandy Alibo, who is the incredible driving force behind the Surf Ghana collective. We filmed at the skatepark with the awesome women from Skate Gal Club - an all girls meetup on Thursdays, when no men are allowed at Freedom Skatepark. We surfed with the teenage girls who belong to a club called Obibini Girls Surf Club which is part of Surf Ghana and founded by a wonderful guy called Justice. Justice coaches the girls and was generous enough to show us waves along his home coast.
We also got to do some exploring and surf some beautiful empty waves, learning about Ghana’s history and enjoying the BBQ’d plantains you can pick up on the side of the road.
Q. Where's it showing?
The film premiered in Sydney this week at a packed out Randwick Ritz and is showing in Torquay, Vic on Saturday at Ocean Grind. We also have a sold out UK premiere on Saturday night that Maddie is hosting that includes a live set from Afriqoui, one of the bands that contributed a song to the soundtrack.
