Sports · Other Sports · 2 hrs ago
Senegalese surfer gives Ngor children free lessons and a path to competition
Professional surfer Ibra Samb is teaching children in Ngor, a fishing village near Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
As a boy, he and his friends could not afford surfboards, so they practised on pieces of plywood left from fishing boats.
His Anda surf school offers free weekly lessons for children aged 7 to 14, with help from local volunteers.
Students such as Samb’s 13-year-old niece Katy say surfing gives them confidence and freedom.
A shortage of boards and other equipment limits access, while training and travel costs make it hard for many West African surfers to compete internationally.
Senegal’s Youth Olympic Games are drawing attention to the country’s surfing potential; they are the first Olympic event held in Africa.
Samb hopes his students will qualify for the World Tour, and he continues teaching them as they work toward that goal.
Ibra Samb runs free weekly surf lessons for children aged 7 to 14 in Ngor, a fishing village near Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Through Anda surf school, Samb and local volunteers are helping children learn to surf and offering a route toward competition.
Samb hopes some of the children will qualify for the World Tour.
The school faces shortages of boards, while equipment, training and travel costs limit access to surfing in West Africa.
Senegal’s hosting of the Youth Olympic Games is drawing attention to the country’s surfing potential.
- Who
- Senegalese surfer Ibra Samb, Anda surf school volunteers and children from Ngor.
- What
- They provide free weekly surf lessons for children and hope to help them progress toward competition.
- When
- Weekly; a recent Sunday lesson was described in the articles.
- Where
- Ngor, a fishing village on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal.
- Why
- Samb wants to share the peace and opportunity he found through surfing and help children reach higher levels of the sport.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Samb and his friends followed surfers to the beach and used plywood because they could not afford surfboards.
Samb founded Anda surf school with fellow professional surfer and childhood friend Cherif Fall.
Samb, Fall and volunteers coached children aged 7 to 14 on the beach in Ngor.
Senegal is hosting the Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event held in Africa.
- Location
- Ngor, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal
- School
- Anda surf school
- Lesson schedule
- Free weekly classes
- Student ages
- 7 to 14
- Recent class
- Around 20 children
- Goal
- Qualify children for the World Tour
2 sources
What people are saying
My dream today is that one day I’ll wake up and see that these kids, who have progressed alongside me, have qualified for the World Tour.
Now, the whole village wants to surf.
I feel free, I don’t need to shout or do anything like that; I’m simply confident.