“We believe we are the heart and soul of the community. The city feels our energy. We see the city of Lagos differently and interact with it not just through skating but through a visual documentation.”

Diamond In The Rough gives you a feeling of the rawness and perils of navigating Lagos, Nigeria - the West African “megacity” - through the eyes of an aggressive rollerblader, on tiny wheels.

Lagos is as challenging an urban environment as one gets, with its own unique and extreme obstacles needed to navigate and survive. Indeed, it serves as a wealth of content and inspiration for a creative problem solver such as Daniel Ogbogu, an aggressive rollerblader and head of the Shinobi Blade Clan.

Daniel Ogbogu hacks street obstacles, scouts locations, and introduces new and old eyes to the sights of the city. From Marina to Agege, and places in between, Daniel documents the skills and growth of the Shinobi community and its extended family of rollerbladers, over a one year period (2021- 2022).

In Diamond In The Rough, Daniel and his cohorts, within all the chaos, use movement to express their soul. DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH (VOD) WILL BE READY FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ON June 24, 2022.

Origin Story - Trailer 2

Daniel Ogbogu shares with us the highs and lows of trying to make Shinobi Blade Clan first VOD.

• Get the VOD on Hezekinapollutina.org.
• More Goodies on the Shinobi Blade Clan, Youtube Channel.

In the year 2019, Daniel Ogbogu and Samuel Igangan went on a four day trip to Ghana, to visit Abdul Karim and skate some cool spots in Accra, the whole piece was to be filmed and documented by Daniel Ogbogu, here is what went down on that trip.

August 2021: The Shinobi Blade Clan releases some skating footage from June 2019.

The Shinobi Blade Clan, a group of passionate individuals who are bound by the love of Rollerblading. Featuring: Caleb Austin Smith, Daniel Ogbogu, Samson Omotosho & Aloma Idris.

And if you want to see more of the Shinobi Blade Clan, here is the documentary by Dom West.

STREETS OF LAGOS | (African Rollerblading Documentary) by Dom West

Shot on location in West Africa, ‘Streets of Lagos’ provides a rare insight into the lives of Nigeria’s first generation of rollerbladers. What was once a niche sport that saw widespread participation across the globe in the late 90’s has emerged in 2020 as a fringe subculture in the streets of Lagos. Originally used as a way to navigate the city’s dense traffic, today, a select few use their skates as a form of self-expression, something which can be hard to find in what is one of the toughest cities in the world.

The story is told through the eyes of Daniel Ogbogu, Lagos’ strongest up-and-coming street skater, who gives insight into the struggles of daily life in Nigeria and the strength that skating gives him. He is joined by travelling professional athlete, Brian Freeman, who seeks to nurture the sense of community amongst the youths of Lagos and to help them find sense in the chaotic world in which they live.

A Film by Dom West. Starring Daniel Ogbogu & Brian Freeman. Soundtrack: Rob Law & Music Bed. Shot on location: Lagos, Nigeria.

Check some photos & behind the scenes on Untitledfilmworks.com.au.