Connections with Youth Pioneers: Mxolisi Luvuno

Passion is a word that is often used loosely nowadays, but every now and again you get to meet some people that are a personification of the word. People that refuse to sell themselves short. People who refuse to follow the crowd. People who wholeheartedly embrace who they are. It is unfortunate that some of these people are not celebrated and it is a crime that their efforts are often overlooked and not made known to the public. Society’s silent, unsung heroes.

Mxolisi Luvuno is an individual who is from Standerton and he is currently based in Durban. He has had a massive impact and influence on the skate scene in the highveld region of the Mpumalanga province. He has an interesting story and he is probably one of the most humble and consistent people you will ever meet. We had the chance to chop it up with him and got to know more about him and what he is all about.

Nusoulhub: Please tell us a little about Mxolisi Luvuno ? Where are you from ?

Mxolisi: Mxolisi is a young skateboarder from a small town in Mpumalanga called Standerton. He is a down to earth human being. Very quiet and silent. One of the few skaters that reside in Standerton.

Nusoulhub: Growing up in a small conservative town like Standerton must have been very interesting. Living a life that is different to what is common is often frowned upon. Tell us about your upbringing in Standerton and how did you get into skateboarding ?

Mxolisi: Man, growing up in Standerton has been so eye-opening. Them streets have taught me a lot. My childhood was pretty chilled, I’m fortunate enough to have loving parents who were there to teach me right and wrong although I had my flops. But yeah coming from a large family and being the last born has its pros and cons. My story is kind of weird, I got into skateboarding via my two hommies, Nkululeko and Siphamandla. They would cruise around on these wooden devices with wheels and I found that very fascinating. I started off riding their boards on a regular basis until I saved up enough cash to buy a board of my own. It was a Vortex full setup I bought from Pro Sport[Laughs]. Coming from a small town can limit an individual ’cause everyone does the same thing. It gets really hard to find yourself.

Nusoulhub: You had an interesting and colourful childhood. Skateboarding is seen as a white sport/lifestyle. What were some of the challenges you faced being a black skate kid in a town where the population is more black than white ?
Mxolisi: I’ve been laughed at, mocked and discriminated against so many times. People giving me the weird eye like I am psycho. I’ve been degraded so many times and I really don’t care about what people have to say about my lifestyle because it makes me happy. It keeps me mentally and physically fit. I’ve learnt that in life people will always talk bad about you when you’re different hey. People need to understand that skateboarding is not a white sport nor a black sport. It’s a universal sport and it has no colour bounds whatsoever. Skateboarding has taught me a lot in life so far and I’m so obsessed about it.

Nusoulhub: You’ve been through so much for doing what you love, despite all the negativity. What keeps you going because a lot of people would quit when faced with such challenges ?

Mxolisi: The passion I’ve got for it is just too strong. It just calms me down yo, it’s like I get trapped in a trance if I can put it like that. I keep in mind no matter what happens I have to get up and try again. That mentality motivates me to keep pushing.

Nusoulhub: Where do you see yourself taking skateboarding or where do you want skateboarding to take you ?

Mxolisi: I just see skateboarding taking kids off the streets and corners, getting up to no good. I wanna see skateboarding changing lives for the better. For me personally I skate because it’s so fun and constructive. I just wanna keep learning new tricks. I wanna start filming again. So yeah, would like to see MPskate on the map somewhere. Show people out there that there’s talent stashed in Standerton. Get some exposure you know. This year I wanna be working on some DIY missions in my hometown. There are some platforms we can build obstacles on and skate since getting the municipality to build us a skate park is a hassle.

Nusoulhub: That is awesome, using skateboarding to aid nation building. A lot of younger kids look up you and when you give back to your community to grow skateboarding and giving kids something constructive to do is something that needs to be supported. Tell us about MPskate ? How involved are you in that movement ? How did it all start ?

Mxolisi: Well, MPskate is short for Mpumalanga skateboarding. It is a collective of skateboarders, filmers, photographers and creative individuals based in Standerton, Secunda and Evander. We’re looking to expand throughout the province.We’re a brotherhood promoting creativity, progress and growth. We decided to open a channel to share our skateboarding clips and lifestyle. We get together sometimes for mass missions where we all gather up and rip and just have have fun. We hope our family grows this year seeing that a lot of younger guys are starting to skate.

Nusoulhub: Mpskate is definitely putting in a lot of work. Where can people see the work that Mpskate puts out ?

Mxolisi: We’ve got an open page called Mpskate on Facebook. We’re still working on our channel on Vimeo. So stay tuned on that. We’re gonna upload some stuff soon on there.

Nusoulhub: We’re looking forward to see some of the projects that you guys are going to put out. What are some of the negatives that you have observed in the South African skate culture ?

Mxolisi: It’s like you have to know certain people in order to get hooked up bro. I feel like niggas from small towns have to work extra hard to get exposure. There’s a lot of underrated cats that I know that should be on Session Mag at least but hey it’s all in good time. If you really want something done, you have to do it yourself.

Nusoulhub: That’s very unfortunate, as much as the buddy system is negative but it also creates a DIY culture which will ultimately grow the scene and no one will depend on anyone. What are some of your skateboarding highlights so far ?

Mxolisi: I have to say the biggest highlight is getting to skate Durban for the past year and counting. I’ve been holding it down this side for the past year and a half to get my academics straight so I’m using my stay here to my advantage. The skate park, the stadium, the streets of Durbs are so interesting and inviting to skate bruv. So technical and smooth at the same time. I also featured on a couple MPskate ads doing some rad stuff. I’m sure there’s many more highlights to come this year.

Nusoulhub: How did the change of scenery help you in your personal and skate development ?

Mxolisi: It helped me in so many ways because I got to meet a lot of people who are like me. Who think like me and who are as passionate about skateboarding like me if not more. It helped me to learn how to adapt or die, from seeing new places to chilling with different people which makes you grow as a person you know. Learning all human dynamics.

Nusoulhub: Meeting new folks definitely helps with growth. What is your view on education and what are you studying ? Why did you decide to study what you are studying ?

Mxolisi: I think education is so important in this day and age. It gives you a different perspective on life, it can also take you to places and really paves the way to your future. It’s so important we take advantage of our age and get madly educated before it’s too late. I’m currently studying mechanical engineering, mainly because I’m so intrigued by the assembly of things. The way they are built and put together for productive purposes. I’ve been into mechanics ever since I started skating. I think it’s a perfect fuse of physics and mathematics.

Nusoulhub: It’s always good to hear such positive words from a young person. How do you balance school, adult life and skateboarding ?

Mxolisi: [Laughs] That’s one of the toughest tasks I have to go through each day. I  try to have schedules to balance my stuff. I always work extra hard, sometimes I have sleepless nights just to stay on point with my school work. I use every minute I have free to skate. Maybe once or twice a week. An hour’s skate session can do so much for me after a long day. The best way to keep myself balanced is to plan my days yo, that’s how it works.

Nusoulhub: The passion is quite clear. In closing, would you like to live off skateboarding one day ?

Mxolisi: That’s really a common question, I get asked that a lot. I’d love to hey but I don’t think that that’s for everyone in SA hey, it has it’s people. I guess I’m better off doing it for fun rather than expecting too much from it.

Nusoulhub: That is really awesome, thank you for your time. We wish you well with everything that you do, brother. It’s all love.

Mxolisi: Hey, man thank you for taking time to do this. Wish you and your team a dope year filled with many blessings. Thank you a lot brother.

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