Abstract:
This paper provides an account of the first African Antarctic Arts and Humanities workshop which took place in May 2022, at the southern-most point of the continent of Africa, in Cape Agulhas National Park in South Africa. The focus was on Africa’s relationship to its south-facing coastlines from the perspective of the arts and humanities, with the aim of navigating what it means to think Antarctica from Africa during the era of climate change. The workshop's location at the southernmost tip of continental Africa provided a unique vantage point for discussions that spanned from prehistory (the breaking up of the Gondwana landmass some 180 million years ago), via the history of colonial and Apartheid legacies linking Antarctica and southern Africa, to contemporary issues including migration and challenges facing local fishing communities. It was also future-oriented, reflecting – through presentations, film and poetry – on the reality of melting ice caps and rising sea levels for contemporary African coastlines. The paper describes the rationale for the workshop and provides an overview of the presentations, as well as an account of the developing network, both opportunities and challenges.
