“The Sea is in our blood”: a new exhibition on the One Ocean Learn Platform

An exciting new exhibition has been added to the knowledge-translation platform One Ocean Learn: ‘The Sea is in our blood‘ presenting an illustrated poem by Hub PhD researcher Menka Vansant. The poem traces the stories and knowledge of the fisherfolk from Port Nolloth in South Africa’s Northern Cape that Menka engaged with during fieldwork in this small fishing and diamond mining town. The poem speaks of the fishers’ deep, embodied knowledge and spiritual bonds with their coast, but also of changes they have been noticing on their shores such as the shifting behaviours of whales and fish which they attribute to climate change.

Of her research and what inspired her to create the illustrated poem accessible through One Ocean Learn, Menka said:
“Small-scale fishers, a historically marginalized group in South Africa, were the predominant focus of this research, as their livelihoods are critical towards maintaining the health and sustainability of the ocean’s ecosystem, food and nutritional security, and cultural and spiritual heritage. South Africa is experiencing an influx of offshore oil and gas applications, which small-scale fishers have expressed deep concerns over, as the industry poses significant impacts for not just their livelihoods, but also climate change.”
Menka Vansant is a PhD candidate in Environmental Science at the University of Cape Town. Her dissertation research focuses on conflicts between small-scale fishers and offshore oil and gas development along the West Coast, as well as an analysis of South Africa’s ocean economic development activities in light of the Just Energy Transition Plan (JETP) and climate change agreements.
Visit Menka’s exhibition The Sea is in our blood on One Ocean Learn here >>
Artwork: Menka Vansant
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