I AM THALENTE
Street kid turned skateboarding superstar, Thalente Bieye, is truly an Afro-spiration to today’s youth. You could say he was born destined for greatness given his name means “talent” in Zulu. He left home to the streets of Durban nearly 8 years ago, to free himself from the hands of his abusive stepfather. From the moment he mounted his first skateboard in 2002 he never looked back. From then on all his time and energy was shifted from the streets on to the board. Since then he has hustled his way around the South Africa skate scene trying to get recognised and has so far succeeded in being one of the most promising young skaters in the country. He hit the skate circuit with vengeance, owning the ramps with his many tricks and endless style, which no doubt had other skaters shaking in their shoes.
Overcoming his personal demons pushed him to exceed the world’s expectations of him. By doing so he was able to attract international press and a sponsorship from LRG, which resulted in a US P1 athlete visa. The icing on the cake was an invite to compete at the world’s premier amateur skate competition, Tampa Am, in Florida, USA. All of which he achieved through his own efforts.
When he is not skating, Thalentes’s charismatic personality and charm brings people close to him. Skating being his world causes him to put every fibre of his being into the sport. Escaping the streets of South Africa is a success story hard to come by and there is no doubt the future holds many great challenges for the up and coming star. Saying that his hard will and determination to survive the streets has well equipped him to flourish on the next leg of his journey.
Share Thalente’s journey as this short film takes you through his transition from a homeless, vulnerable street kid into an adult, just barely escaping circumstance to find his place in the world.www.digforfire.tv/i_am_thalente/ |
