Reporting by Tendai The Inspiring Story Of Mozambique's First Professional Surfer See our video interview with Mini here. Sung Min Cho is a Korean-Moambican surfer who is currently making history in the world of surfing. Born in September 1999, Sung Min Cho also known as Mini calls Tofo Beach home. He began surfing at the age of 13 which was quite old considering that most surfers in the town begin from a young age. Growing up with insufficient money to afford boards, he was gifted a “5,8 neon yellow wedge” from tourists who spotted him on the beach of Tofo which is not an ideal board for learning. He is now a professional surfer with large sponsorships including O’Neil and Dryrobe. After surfing for three years, at the age of sixteen, he realized how surfing could be something he would want to do professionally for a living. He proceeded to get into some research and soon discovered that there had never been a Mozambican professional surfer and that was the moment he decided he wanted to make history. From the first time he stood up on his board, he found himself becoming a surfing fanatic. He began traveling to Durban often for surfing training and while there he would volunteer for an organization named Surfers Not Street Children. As he became close with the founder Tom Hewitt he developed a passion for helping develop the African surfing community. As the charity grew, Tom decided to branch out into Mozambique and knew that Mini would be the perfect partner for this project. Tom Hewitt said in an interview: “As we grew our program to cover Mozambique, I knew Mini was the natural partner. He’s inspirational in his own right, dedicated to surfing, and super compassionate to the children in Tofo.” ( Conway, Simply Surf, pg5, 23). This branch of Surfer Not Street Children is now commonly known as the Tofo Surf Club. The club is a place where children from anywhere around the area of Tofo Beach can go and get provided with free surf lessons. There is only one requirement to join the club: to go to school. Not only is Mini growing the surfing community, but also helping children find the drive to get a higher education. If children are not able to go to school, the club will provide small lessons at the club or even help pay school fees for those who cannot afford it. I know that many of you have visited Tofo Beach or have heard of it but this is only one of the many surfing gems of Mozambique. With the fourth longest coast in Africa, Mini sees tons of potential for the surfing community. He realized that nobody in the surfing community saw what he did. Mini recently filmed a documentary called Chasing The Unicorn, with Monster Energy, about the Mozambican surf story and life. World-renowned surfers were featured and were surfing the beautiful waves of Mozambique in this film reveling in how much potential this amazing coast has. While Tofo may appear to be a sacred, unknown surf spot, there is a growing interest in surf tourism in the area. According to Mini, surf tourism can provide local businesses with a steady income throughout the year, as opposed to relying on a seasonal influx of tourists. Despite the potential benefits of surf tourism, Tofo's unique culture and identity must be preserved and protected from gentrification. As the home of Mozambique's first professional surfer and a place of great cultural significance, Tofo's charm and culture should not be compromised by commercialization. Mini’s story is just the start of the Mozambican surf world and a great example of how dreams can develop and be achieved in great ways from very humble beginnings. See our video interview with Mini here.
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