P I CT URE PI ER NI R A NDA R A
OCEAN PRINCESS A woman who grew up in Soweto, far from the sea tells us about her journey to becoming a custodian of the ocean
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ANDILE NDHLOVU is the founder of The Black Mermaid Foundation, an organisation seeking to expose young people to the ocean. As a diversity and inclusion consultant, she works to reshape narratives through storytelling. She is a fellow of NEWF, a year-long programme targeting emerging and first-time natural-history film-makers in Africa. Recently, she was selected to be a Jackson Wild 2021 Fellow – an initiative dedicated to elevating diverse and creative perspectives of storytellers for the conservation, protection and restoration of the natural world. Ndhlovu is a change agent through her work in the NEWF foundation, in public speaking and on her weekly podcast. This is her story. I grew up in a landlocked Soweto, a good six hours from the nearest ocean. Much closer to home was a pristine pool that would cost you 50c to enter. I remember the many times we’d ask my mother for money to go swimming with the other kids and this 50c, which seems such a small amount today, would weigh in our hearts as we watched those who could afford to go. I was 28 when I had my first opportunity to see beneath the surface of the ocean. I was in awe at the number of fish I saw – and the blue. The ocean floor
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