What role does documenting the past play in bringing stories about the African experience to life?
It is often said that to build the future, we must look to the past. At the core of Diving With a Purpose, is just that - purpose-driven deep work (no pun intended) to contribute to a more complete history that tells the stories of their ancestors.
DWP is a collective of trained Black SCUBA divers connecting maritime archaeology with conservation and are led by African-American archival researchers and marine archaeologists. So, it was only fitting that the young divers from Diving with a Purpose would find a sense of community and belonging at eKhaya.
In an long-anticipated exchange between NEWF and Diving With a Purpose, we had the opportunity to welcome these divers who are part of the African diaspora, home. Through their work, they are exploring their connections with Africa - and through exchanges like these - we have the chance to once again share a home and collectively heal.
Photo by Yarminiah Rosa/YDWP
A week-long visit has seen a lot of shared comfort food, visions, adventures in nature (safari and marine!) and vulnerable discussions about Africanism and the threads that run through our identities and perspectives.
The highlight of this exchange has been exploring DWP’s exploration of shipwrecks through a practical demonstration of the methodologies used to find and document artefacts. And while these objects often hold material value for those whose thrills rely on treasure hunting, the work DWP does reminds us of how objects can hold meaning that runs far deeper than dollars or rands.
These artefacts hint at time and place - validating the journey of millions of African people who died and those who survived a great deal with not so much as the dignity of the identities kept intact. These artefacts begin to answer questions and start the work of filling the shared longing for histories fractured and lost.
Photo by Yarminiah Rosa/YDWP
They offer tangible purpose as African descendants craft stories of memory - celebrating our resilience as we continue fighting for our right to exist as a whole. Bonded by a melting pot of culture and language that outlived centuries of organised oppression, we still face challenges in society today because resisting organised division, requires relentless and organised unity.
Joined by DWP Instructor and Educational Coordinator Ernie Franklin; Dr.Rachel Stewart (DWP Instructor), Greg Hood (DWP Instructor), Anumi Sassaroli Oriana (DWP Instructor) and Yarminiah Rosa (YDWP Photographer) gave the team a small peek into the world of marine archeology and the methodologies used on the wrecks they’ve already documented and in training environments priming the next generation to carry this work forward.
Photo by Yarminiah Rosa/YDWP
Sodwana Bays beach strip provided the perfect setting for setting up a mock wreck exercise, an important part of training that ensures that these skills can translate easily with limited communication underwater. Using a set of tools to create a alpha-numeric grid the team recorded placed artefacts, working in smaller teams of three carefully inspect each object and detail the orientation, measurements and other key information that will ultimately relate the objects to each other once archived.
Based on standard, expert archeological methods, these techniques give Black divers the opportunity to be citizen archeologists who use their marine skills to contribute towards these intricate processes which preserve parts of history not yet documented and which hold real archeological value to the parks who support the work they do.
Photo by Yarminiah Rosa/YDWP
When asked what this journey has meant to Mr.Ernie as he is affectionately (and respectfully) referred to by the youth group, his answer is simple: It’s his way of leaving a legacy.
‘We’re not gonna be around forever, you see? We gotta make sure that when we’re gone, these kids have got the skills to continue the work and have the opportunity to preserve history and tell their stories. Being here [at eKhaya], has just been such an experience. Words cannot express the privilege and joy it is to find a group of like minded people. I am truly blessed. Imagine what’s possible when we get together like this and get down to the truth and get to know each other's stories - we assume we know about each other but we don’t. We gotta find out!’
And this is it - what’s possible when we exchange skills and create a safe space to share our experiences?
Photo by Yarminiah Rosa/YDWP
How much would be possible if more of our conversations had the intention of healing each other's ancestral wounds through storytelling? What would happen if Black divers across the globe were part of restoring a full, colourful tapestry of stories that are woven with thread of compassion, belonging and cultural celebration?
We imagine we’d see more Black people living with expansive, limitless purpose. We imagine that together we’d go further and do more for representation in science, anthropology and the arts across the globe.
Because at our core, we are all storytellers… Restoring history, reframing narratives and challenging a collective identity that shows just how big Africa is - and that the methods used to divide us, are bringing us together on a fierce, shared mission to tell our stories.
