Women who move like water

Women who move like water

Ripples at the intersection between the blue and orange economies

By Unathi Lutshaba, SA Cultural Observatory executive director

THE economy, according to some, can be likened to a rainbow. We have all heard of the green or the blue economy. But what of the orange one?

The orange economy is the creative economy.  It is made up of the creative industries – such as architecture, animation, advertising, fashion and publishing. Together these industries form part of the modern economy where culture is produced and distributed through industrial means; with intellectual property being the main driver of trade, labour and production.

Now you, like me may be wondering how the orange economy – arts and culture – intersects with the blue or maritime economy. The linkage may not be instantly obvious, but if we turn to nature and Ubuntu we get an answer.

Rainbows in drawings do not typically blend, but in nature, each rainbow colour bleeds into the another, driven by a spectrum of light and water. The rainbow is the sum of its parts, and its parts do not have distinctive lines.

Our national economy is just like this – one part can show its colour because of the other parts. That’s also the underpinning of Ubuntu, we are because of others.

It was a desire to understand how this plays out in real life that this Women’s Month the South African Cultural Observatory hosted the “Black Mermaid”, Zandile Ndhlovu, at a special event in Gqeberha.

Zandi is South Africa’s first black freediving instructor and a force to be reckoned with on both the cultural front and in the water. She is on a mission to educate black people, and especially children, about the wonder of the ocean, and how to be in it, swim safely and protect it. Through representation and being out there doing her thing, she is a real-life example of what is possible when you show not tell.

While her work is the water, and education and ocean preservation. Her tool is culture through the incredible use of media, storytelling, writing, images and her own iconography, in service of good.

Zandi has been on National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, she has been featured in hundreds of articles across South African titles and the world, including CNN, BBC and The Guardian.

She has also written a children’s book, Zandi’s Song, been featured in a documentary, the Black Mermaid, and is making her own documentaries now. I feel like she is a templar for what is possible when you really harness the creative industries to share an authentic story that can trigger change.

When she spoke at the event at the Nelson Mandela University Bird Street Gallery, in an appropriately creative space shared with Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Stephané Conradie's solo exhibition, 'Wegwysers deur die Blinkuur', she shared her journey. 

Zandi grew up in Soweto. She had never seen the sea before she was 12, let alone swum in it. But a passion for the ocean started on a snorkelling trip to Bali, where the wonder of the underwater world caught her attention.

She wanted to go deeper – and she did! Now she is an icon in the freediving community and a global influencer showing what black women can do. Basically, she is one of my heroes.

But her story also shows where the blending of the lines happens, when two economies and stories come together. The big blue and the arts and culture move us daily. When confronted by both the ocean and with creative works, we are compelled to pause. Then to take notice. To really feel the wonder of either nature or human ingenuity. In some cases, we are even prompted to protect it; or to want to preserve it (think of all that cultural heritage we work so hard to put in museums, document and save in situ).

The ocean and the creative industries are the source of economic wealth, survival and well-being. Both need protection; both are underappreciated in terms of their potential and meaning; both need more attention to ensure sustainable production happens within the economies.  Zandi’s story shows us how that is possible: through inspiration, showing up and using culture.

I was so excited to host an event that showcased how culture can be a tool for telling a story about sport (swimming and freediving), black excellence, mindset change around the ocean and black women’s potential, the importance of open access, and skills development.

But more so, as we celebrate 30 years of democracy, to showcase how, when we embrace the different colours of the economic machinations of our rainbow nation, we really create something beautiful.

Let’s elevate more women like Zandi – working at the intersections; and let’s keep building a creative, moving Mzansi.