“Lalela uLwandle,” developed by the Empatheatre group in South Africa, uses storytelling to highlight the voices of small-scale fishers and coastal communities impacted by environmental challenges such as oil and gas exploration. The play, developed through interviews and research with various coastal communities, shares diverse oceanic connections from livelihoods to spiritual beliefs, often overlooked in official processes. Presented in various settings, including United Nations events, it promotes inclusive dialogue about ocean conservation and has even been used in legal cases, against large oil and gas companies emphasising the role of community voices in sustainable ocean governance.
Impact story: Empatheatre – Changing Understandings and Engagements with ocean dependent communities: Lalela uLwandle
One Ocean Hub
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- Theme
- Tag
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- Empatheatre,
- South Africa,
- activism,
- Ancestral Land,
- Apartheid,
- Art
- Target Group
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- Students,
- Artists,
- community members,
- Teachers
- Language
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- Afrikaans,
- English,
- isiZulu
- Region
This impact story highlights the impact that arts-based participatory research and immersive theatre can have at the local, national and international level to support more inclusive ocean governance