Meet Mame Fremah Bonsu

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mame Fremah Bonsu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mame Fremah below.

Mame Fremah, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I have found purpose by staying dedicated to the things that give me a sense of fulfillment. I love skateboarding and I also love storytelling in its various forms. I spend my time skateboarding, teaching skateboarding, writing and recording music

I have also found purpose in moving forward despite not having clarity on my destination. Spending time in spaces that weren’t in line with my sense of fulfillment helped to clarify my purpose. There were times during which I tried things with the intent to earn a living, but discovered that they were taking from other enriching parts of my life experience.

I continue to find purpose in self-reflection. I find purpose in considering the path of my life thus far. I find purpose in considering who and what I needed as a youth that I was deprived of. A black, female role model other than my mother. Someone that lives in her truth rather than following a path deemed acceptable by the greater society

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Since childhood I have been moved by storytelling. In my youth, I was influenced primarily by books and movies. I naturally gravitated towards writing in junior high school and high school, becoming a creative writer, essayist, poet and songwriter in college. I graduated with a degree in English Literature and a minor in French Studies.

Presently, I have two public facing brands. Both of them are related to stories and/or storytellers.

My skateboard instruction business is called Anansi SkateLife. It is named in reference to the Ghanaian mythological figure Anansi the Spider. In West African and Caribbean folklore, he is an anthropomorphic figure with both human and spider qualities. He is called “The Owner of All Stories”. He is cunning, resourceful and able to overcome adversity using his intellect and persuasive abilities.

As a songwriter and hip-hop recording artist, I make and release music under the stage name Œco (Echo). This is in reference to a Greek mythological character that was cursed by Zeus’ jealous wife, Hera, to only repeat what was said to her. Her story touches on themes of identity, reflection and love. I first came across Echo in college literature courses and since then have never been able to shake her from my thoughts. Her story is so fascinating and applicable to so many present day socio-political subjects. The main ones that come to mind are those of self-awareness, objectification, bodily autonomy, the (male) gaze, and the ownership of one’s voice. I think Echo is a character so relevant for 21st century hip hop, and she constantly inspires me to write and produce more material.

Despite having Œco as my artist name, my purpose in making music is to create songs that aren’t like any I’ve heard. I totally resonate with the excitement and aspirational feelings that are evoked by this generation’s mainstream rap scene. However, the redundancy in the themes and messages can be quite demoralizing, especially as a Black woman that sees the many negative messages that Black girls receive in today’s Western culture. My response to consuming the music that sounds good to my ears, but actually reflects my degradation in society is to take the former, ditch the latter and spread a different message. I approach it with the mindset that I’m making the music that I want to hear, but also the music that I needed to hear as a child/adolescent and unfortunately did not.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Since I’ve dedicated so much of my life to skateboarding, I consider how some concepts or practices I’ve developed can apply to my life outside skating. Skating has taught me how to lean into my emotions, adapt to changes, and engage my physical and spiritual core.

LEANING IN

There’s no arguing that skateboarding is scary. This is especially true when first starting, or when learning something more advanced. Nonetheless, you have to lean in to the motion you’re attempting to complete. It’s essential to go with gravity as opposed to resisting. I am particularly fond of skating transition. This means skating ramps and pools. Think Tony Hawk. The transition refers to the curve that connects vertical and horizontal planes. It looks sort of like this: (___)

It’s our natural instinct to not drop down a wall that’s 10+ feet supported only by wood and wheels. If you want to skate a ramp, you have to do just that. You have to go against your natural instinct and risk injury/pain/embarrassment/failure to complete the feat. I apply this concept to the work I’ve done in therapy for a long time. In all honesty, it’s been easier taking those physical risks than the emotional ones. But when I’m running away from an uncomfortable thought or feeling, I’m sometimes able to apply this technical concept to my emotions. It becomes somewhat easier to confront the inner demons… sometimes. Lol.

Fun fact: the very top of a ramp where the wall meets the deck at the top is called coping. I’m constantly coping with the inevitabilities of life as I grow up. Skateboarding has helped me with this tremendously. Skateboarding is therapy for me as much as it is exercise, fun, art and community building.

ADAPTING TO DIFFERENT TERRAIN

Transition skating teaches you how to respond to a shift in plane. When planes shift, you have to shift your weight accordingly. When surfaces change you need to be responsive to the different texture underneath your wheels. Falling is an inevitable part of a skateboarder’s journey. You need to learn how to fall in a way that is least detrimental to your longevity as a skater. When your set up changes, whether it’s the wheels, trucks, deck or entire skateboard, it will feel different when you ride it. This also requires you to adapt. Years of skateboarding has taught me that something that is initially uncomfortable can become second nature.

ENGAGING YOUR CORE

When skateboarding you use your feet to stand, your legs to pump, your head and shoulders to direct you and your core to maintain balance. I’m not an anatomist or a mindreader, but I believe the core is the part that many people think about the least. The part you don’t necessarily see working is actually responsible for what’s surrounding.

I’m gradually becoming more aware of my inner autopilot. That’s what I call the emotions and thoughts and feelings and behaviors that I constantly have and don’t even think about and take for granted. All those things are so important in how they affect the external branches of your life like work or school or relationships or goals you’re trying to achieve. Different fields of medicine underline how one part of your body might be hurting or feel off, but the source is somewhere that’s not in close proximity to where you’re feeling.

So yeah, these physical and technical concepts that I’m tuned into in skateboarding are helping me be tuned into those same concepts in facets of my life apart from skating.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Skaters!!!

For the New Year, I started a project in which I interview skateboarders of all experience levels and backgrounds. I want to get their thoughts on how skateboarding has impacted their life journey including their social life and their emotional and mental life as well. Anyone who would be interested in sharing their story is welcome to reach out to me. You can see the first interview on the YouTube channel ‘Anansi SkateLife’.

If you are an aspiring skateboarder, I want to help you learn! Don’t hesitate to reach out to me to book a lesson, especially if you are in the NYC area.

I’d also like to connect with photographers, creative writers, songwriters and music producers.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jorg Meyer
Annalisa Cimmino
Jena Cumbo
Tony West
Isaac Opoku

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