Founded by storyteller, science communicator, and marine biologist Jamila Janna, woah, the waves is an oceanic realm where tales intertwine and stories come to life through collaborative creation.

“Perhaps these are the reasons – marshalled by fear – why I grew up enviously watching my cousins swim in different water bodies and I was discouraged by my mother from entering them. As I grew older, I craved to know what swimming really felt like. Not the scared dance I would do when a mild wave hit me at South Beach in Durban. Not just cautiously laying down at the intertidal zone while pretending to be doing the best swimming any South African would see! Ever. I wanted to know what the absence of fear felt like.”

“Through the motions of time, several acidic rainfalls, and numerous natural processes, the oceans became chemically balanced – the first step towards Earth becoming a habitable planet. Then 3.5 billion years ago, life began – a eureka moment in the solar system at that time. The first life form that inhabited the planet was bacteria which lived in the sea floor rocks, proving that we have deep-rooted connections and dependence on the ocean.”

“Monwa’s story is one of hope and perseverance. His early life experiences laid a solid foundation for his role as a shark spotter. For Monwa, his love for the water began at Monwabisi Beach, where his mother, his first teacher, encouraged him to swim and led by example by treading and swimming with him. The jagged rocky shores and deceptive riptides were perhaps an ideal teaching ground, as this beach is one of the most dangerous in the country. This is where he was involved in helping strangers with serious near-drowning cases even before becoming a lifeguard at 16.”

Award winning short film, Hluleka is a marine conservation themed nature documentary that aims to encourage community engagement in decision-making. The story focuses on South Africa’s smallest marine protected area, Hluleka. We follow Jamila Janna on an emotional journey unpacking the history, the present and the future through the facilitation of solution-based discussions around inclusivity in decision-making.

Mother fish trap has traveled the continent, existing in intricate river systems and near mighty oceans. She is an ancient technology, passed down generations, that has evolved in each new town she calls home. We hear stories from her guardians. Tales about her journey along the coast from South Africa, to Mozambique and finally, in Kenya. We hear about the threats she face, and how she is in her own way a climate activist.