Skate soccer wasn’t featured at the London 2012 Paralympics, but a new documentary aims to raise the profile of the bruising new sport from Ghana.
Rollaball tells the story of The Rolling Rockets, an inspiring team of Ghanaian polio survivors who are pioneering an extreme sport combination of skating and soccer.
The documentary tells the story of Ghana’s skate soccer team, a group of polio survivors who have created a skateboard-inspired version of soccer adapted to suit their disability. Begging and sleeping on the streets, without the use of their legs, these men find purpose and joy in playing ball on Sundays at a deserted taxi-rank where for a few hours, they can be heroes.
Rollaball’s story has already inspired people across the world. Its initial pitch won the Puma.Creative Catalyst Award in partnership with BRITDOC in 2011 and the project’s vision has been endorsed by the likes of Real Madrid and Ghanaian Black Stars Michael Essien; AC Milan midfielder and Ghanaian Black Stars Sulley Muntari; Disabled Peoples’ International World Chair Javed Abidi; Paralympic wheelchair racer, author and polio survivor Anne Wafula Strike; Shuaib Chalklen, UN Special Rapporteur on Disability; World Cup Skateboarding; and South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation and Department of Women, Children and People With Disabilities.
Films about Africa tend to focus on stories that deal with victims of war, poverty, sexual violence and AIDS. These stories reinforce the one-dimensional stereotypes of Africa as a helpless victim.
According to the director; “We intend for Rollaball to help break these misunderstandings and contribute to changing these stereotypes.”
Watch the four-minute promo video:
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Also, more information on their official page: Rollaball Movie
