From Uganda to Cape Town: Jason Vanporppal completes his inspiring skateboarding journey

“People called me crazy for doing something like this. They thought it wasn’t going to work out until you do it and you show them. Please follow your dreams. Please don’t give up. Please keep going no matter how dark it looks.”

These are the words of American skateboarder Jason Vanporppal, who has finally reached Cape Town after completing an extraordinary journey across Africa.

Vanporppal received a hero's welcome when he arrived in the Mother City on April 25, marking the end of a 6000km skateboarding journey that began in Kampala.

The skateboarder travelled across the continent to raise funds to build a skatepark for disadvantaged children in Uganda.

His ambitious journey took 106 days to complete.

Following his arrival in Cape Town, Vanporppal took to Instagram to reflect on the life-changing experience and share words of encouragement with young people around the world.

“I just finished skateboarding across Africa. For 106 days I’ve been on the road and my brain still doesn’t know that I finished this journey. It thinks it’s going to go again tomorrow. But obviously you guys can see I’m here in Cape Town. We finished the journey,” he said.

“It’s unbelievable what just happened. What a body is capable of doing. What a mind is capable of doing. Just know whatever you’re going through in life, you can get through it. And no matter what you feel like you’re worth, just know you’re worth so much more than you think.”

Vanporppal added that although life can be uncertain, people should never stop believing in themselves.

“I was a simple person, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and sometimes I still don’t know, but you can still do something with your life. Life is a rollercoaster. It’s going to have its ups and downs. We did it. We skated across Africa. I’m happy,” he said.

The journey began in February in Kampala and took him through several African countries including Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and finally South Africa.

During his time in South Africa, Vanporppal travelled through several towns and cities including Johannesburg, Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Beaufort West, Richmond and Laingsburg.

Along the way, he embraced South African culture and even experienced his first braai.

In an interview with “Independent Media Travel”, Vanporppal explained that the inspiration behind the cross-continent skateboarding challenge came from friendships he formed with Ugandan skaters Isaac and Ephraim.

“I was inspired to do this project because the guys that I originally started pushing with, Isaac and Ephraim, they’re from Uganda and they shared a lot about it with me,” he said.

“When I went there and saw it with my own eyes, I realised the skate community lacks resources.”

According to Vanporppal, many young skaters in Uganda are forced to practice on dirt roads and in public spaces where they are often chased away because of the noise.

“These kids are skating on dirt. Sometimes they get kicked out by locals because they’re too loud,” he explained.

“So we decided - let’s build a really big skatepark, not just for those kids, but for all of Africa.”