Can you imagine living there permanently? Does there already exist a non white / none European local crew in the lineups?

Rik: As I said, because of the different cultures in Cape Town there doesn´t exist a thing like a general mentality. You defnitely don´t et used to the violence, but we usually do not see much of it as the majority of it happens in the townships. The situation there is still very sad. When helping to build a house in Khayelitsha, Cape Towns largest township, I had a critical situation. But besides that I never directly had to be afraid of violence. The general situation often makes me sad and angry. The little things that oneself can do to better the situation feel like the drop on a hot stone but that´s still better than closing ones eyes and doing nothing. If there wouldn´t be the winter fugitives and tourists in Cape Town there would be even more poverty. Meanwhile there is a growing number of African surfers, especially in Muizenberg. Here people help bringing kids from the townships to the beach and teach them surfing. These kids and the project have inspired us to start Faith21, a label that wants to support local talented groms. I very well can imagine living in Cape Town. It´s possible that this happens quicker than I would expect. As soon as I find a way to earn enough for my livings and my travels over there, I´ll sit in the next plane to Cape Town.

datrip: Tell us a little more about Faith21 and how your project in Cape town is doing. Don´t you have to teach swimming to the groms first (this is not meant deceptive, but I can imagine that the kids in the townships don´t have too many opportunities to learn swimming)? How do manage to sample the boards, wetsuits and surf instructors needed? Is there already a future world champ amongst the kids?

Rik: I founded Faith21 together with my buddy Miller two years ago. Faith21 is a label that sells high quality hand shaped and hand coloured surf boards, boardbags and from now on (spring 2007) also fashion. We cooperate with the most renowned newcomer shaper in Cape Town. Street artists and designers from Cape Town and Amsterdam decorate our boards. International artists from NYC, Cape Town, Berlin, Amsterdam, Hamburg and San Francisco develop t-shirt designs. Our products are very graphic and street art oriented. With the budget that we make we want to begin supporting kids from South Africa with boards and clothes and later on finance there trips to national contests. We hope to be able to succeed with this within the next three to four years. This year (2006) at Christmas we donated, together with a label from Amsterdam, clothes worth 3500 Euros to children in Atlantis (a township north of Cape Town), Muizenburg and in a house for children without parents. It´s incredible how many people already are involved in the project. In Muizenberg we plan to cooperate with a local surf school. They teach the kids everything they need to know for the beginning and supply them with the equipment. But they need help when it comes to support the groms that already have a higher level. If we breed a world champ I don´t know, but this is not what it´s about. We just don´t want to build a conventional surf team that gets selected only by contest results. We want to help the kids to follow their passion for surfing and when it helps to keep them away from troubles, Faith21 has succeeded.

datrip: Do you manage to give the kids a lasting perspective with your engagement and get them out of the oneway of the typical township „career“ (no education, no perspective, too much violence)? Does the experience of the ocean (through surfing) change the character of the kids? Are you personally active in the local grass roots work or do you “only” supply the financial basics and concepts?

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