On 24 January 2024, The Economist observed that the world is in a ‘new era of global sea power’ and in turn, the oceans have become a space dominated by geopolitics. In this context, the Ocean Regions Programme has been exploring the role of Africa and its relationship to various ocean narratives from the Indo-Pacific, through the Southern Ocean, to the South Atlantic. Yet, to assert a position towards these ‘new regions’ and concepts is to also embark on a process of reacquainting ourselves with the oceans, not only in a policy and political sense but also in a way that citizens can feel intimately connected to the waters. The oceans are not mere spaces that connect one terrestrial destination to another, they are also laboratories where we can explore our connection to the biosphere, to far-flung places and, also, to ourselves. They are capsules of knowledge and of often neglected memory. The seas are recondite and even mysterious. They captivate the imagination.

Join us for a discussion that intersects between creativity, imagination, fiction, geopolitics, science, history, art and languages; a discourse on oceanic convergences and a lens through which we can re-examine our thalassic sensibilities while exploring ideas to address ‘sea blindness’ (an observation frequently made at our previous events) and seek and find fresh inspiration in the conceptualisation, development and building of South African, and African positions towards our oceans