Andrew Raw

One of our goals with Reprobait is to try and uncover as well as highlight lesser known individuals within the local skate scene. Such is the nature of the industry that far too often the finest examples of skateboarding continuously slip through the cracks. We can’t help but feel that if the people who have the resources to enable skateboarders were actually engaged in and knowledgeable about skateboarding, then the scene would look particularly different. At the end of the day, it is the skateboarders themselves who create influence and that influence is a somewhat untapped resource of unlimited potential, if only someone would make the effort to nurture it.

The success of skateboarding in South Africa lies within a mindset of embracing your environment and making the most of that which you find in your surroundings. It’s easy to complain about lack of spots, security guards and parks closing. You can sit and dwell on the difficult situation and never get anywhere or you can make the effort to walk out your door and be open to new possibilities, in whatever form they are presented. People need to adopt that DIY ethos that the roots of skateboarding were founded upon.

Andrew Raw grew up as one of the younger individuals in Kanya Spani’s crew from the north western suburbs of Johannesburg. Behind the scenes he has quietly grown into one of the city’s most motivated and talented skateboarders. He is enrolled in his first year of the University of Johannesburg’s Architecture programme and every weekend you’ll find him cruising some of the crustiest spots one can find in the inner city streets. Andrew represents a new generation of local skateboarders who thrives on adapting to difficult situations.

Omphile Bogatsu has put together a raw digi-cam edit which shows Andrew skating some crusty JHB spots that most overlook, it depicts an environment which is true to what the average skateboarder might encounter in their local city. You might not have amazing spots or abundant resources but everyone has a digi-cam and everyone can find a few rough spots, you can do nothing with it or you can make the most of it. Be on the lookout for more of the Raw!