Ishtar Azzawi calls this her planting season.
It’s fitting because this jiu-jitsu champ, and our guest, who has represented her country Iraq in the sport while living abroad all her life had always felt that her true calling had gone unanswered. So, last year, she decided to pack her life in the UAE and head home to Baghdad.
The planting season symbolises more than just a departure from the comfort of a privileged life and unrestricted access to resources in professional sport for her. It signifies a profound shift in purpose and towards embracing her roots, and marks the inception of a new chapter of sowing the seeds of social change in Iraq through another sport - skateboarding.
Remarkably, venturing into unfamiliar territory as an amateur skateboarder herself, Azzawi founded Baghdad Skate Girls in December with the aim of bringing the transformative power of skateboarding to women in Iraq.
The benefits of introducing the sport in war-torn and war-scarred countries is well-documented. Within that backdrop in Iraq, Baghdad Skate Girls has been fostering resilience, confidence and community, particularly for young women challenging societal norms.
In Part 1 of this episode, Ishtar shares why she had to move to Iraq in search of fulfilment and her aspiration to build foundations for young athletes with Olympic dreams. We discuss how one Instagram post began a skateboarding movement in Baghdad, and how it has been received by society. And while the first steps to building a skateboarding community have been taken, Ishtar tells us about the challenges and resources needed to grow and flourish.
Also, don’t forget to check out Part 2 next where she discusses her journey into jiu-jitsu and some pre-fight rituals.
To find Ishtar on Instagram: @ishtar_azzawi
Baghdad Skate Girls can be followed on @baghdadskategirls
To know more about Ishtar’s efforts with Forsah, the NGO supporting Iraq’s future Olympians, visit https://www.forsah.org/
For more information on other skating organisations working with young people around the world:
Skatistan, visit https://skateistan.org/
Skate Pal, visit: https://www.skatepal.co.uk/
Seven Hills, visit: https://www.7hillspark.com/
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