{"id":16223,"date":"2025-10-27T10:59:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T10:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/?p=16223"},"modified":"2025-10-27T11:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T11:01:12","slug":"presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"Presenting at the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, I had the privilege of attending the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium (SASRS) for the very first time, and what an experience it was! From catching my first ever flight, to visiting Makhanda (Grahamstown) and presenting at my first scientific conference, every part of the journey felt new and exciting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wade with colleagues at the Southern African Shark & Ray Symposium.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019ll admit, the lead-up to the symposium was filled with a fair amount of anxiety. Presenting to a scientific audience for the first time can be intimidating, and being scheduled on the final day didn\u2019t make things any easier. But listening to the incredible talks throughout the week quickly reminded me why I enjoy this field. The stories, research, and conservation efforts shared by so many individuals and organisations were deeply inspiring and highly relevant to our work at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre. One of the talks that really stayed with me was delivered by Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur, titled \u201cConnecting minds, hearts, and hands through scientifically grounded, strategically planned educational outreach to create and sustain effective marine conservation solutions.<\/em>\u201d What stood out to me was how Elisabeth highlighted the power of using familiar, everyday tools within communities as educational resources. Instead of relying on expensive materials or formal classrooms, she showed how the very things people interact with daily can become powerful teaching tools for conservation. This approach not only makes marine education more relatable and inclusive but is also deeply rooted in the lived experiences of the community. It\u2019s a reminder that meaningful conservation doesn\u2019t always start with high budgets or advanced technology.<\/p>\n

By the time it was my turn to speak, the nerves were real, especially after a few people mentioned they were looking forward to my talk! My presentation, titled \u201cDecolonising Terminology and Language in Marine Education<\/em>,\u201d focused on our experiences as an environmental education centre and how language plays a crucial role in making marine science accessible. I shared some of the challenges we\u2019ve faced in communicating across languages, the steps we\u2019ve taken to overcome them, and the positive outcomes that followed. To illustrate this, I included examples of terms we\u2019ve translated into Afrikaans, Kaaps (Afrikaaps), and IsiXhosa, using both formal and informal language to better connect with different audiences. One memorable conversation that week was with Sarah Waries from Shark Spotters, who jokingly asked if I\u2019d include the Kaaps (Afrikaaps) translation of \u201canemone\u201d – \u201csee toetie<\/em>\u201d. \u201cToetie\u201d is a Kaaps term referring to the female genitalia. I hesitated at first, but later realised that even humorous or colloquial terms carry cultural weight and can help connect science to people\u2019s lived experiences.<\/p>\n

During my presentation, I shared both the IsiXhosa (iVula Vala) and Kaaps (see toetie) terms for anemone, but just before showing the Kaaps version, I asked Sarah, who was sitting right at the back of the crowd, to say it. When Sarah enthusiastically shouted \u201cSEE TOETIE<\/em>!\u201d from the audience, the entire room erupted in laughter, a moment none of us will forget! From that point on, I somehow became known as \u201cSee Toetie<\/em>,\u201d and that was my own fault, but honestly, I don\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wade presenting on \u201cDecolonising Terminology and Language in Marine Education.\u201d\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond the laughs, the presentation sparked meaningful conversations about language, accessibility, and decolonising science communication. Many delegates reflected on how language shapes their outreach, and one even raised the colonial roots of certain fish names, like the Cape sea bream\u2019s common name, \u201cHottentot<\/em>,\u201d which refers to the derogatory name given to the indigenous people (Khoi and San) of Southern Africa by Dutch settlers.<\/p>\n

These discussions reinforced the importance of culturally inclusive communication, something we strive for in all our educational work. And then came the biggest surprise of all, at the gala dinner, they announced: \u201cAnd the best speaker is none other than\u2026 See Toetie<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wade receiving the award for Best Speaker.<\/p><\/div>\n

I couldn\u2019t stop laughing, but behind the laughter was deep gratitude. Winning best speaker was a huge personal milestone, and attending SASRS was far more than just a professional achievement; it was a celebration of connection, courage, and community.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year, I had the privilege of attending the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium (SASRS) for the very first time, and what an experience it was! From catching my first ever flight, to visiting Makhanda (Grahamstown) and presenting at my first scientific conference, every part of the journey felt new and exciting. I\u2019ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":224,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresenting at the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium - SOSF Shark Education Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join Wade\u2019s first experience at the 8th Southern African Shark & Ray Symposium, where he presented on "Decolonising Terminology and Language in Marine Education,\u201d and was awarded Best Speaker.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Presenting at the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join Wade\u2019s first experience at the 8th Southern African Shark & Ray Symposium, where he presented on "Decolonising Terminology and Language in Marine Education,\u201d and was awarded Best Speaker.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SOSF Shark Education Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/saveourseasngo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-27T10:59:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-27T11:01:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/img-9640.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Liat Dayan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@saveourseas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@saveourseas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Liat Dayan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Liat Dayan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/#\/schema\/person\/e16cee0c910cde136dbce2601ac7ebb0\"},\"headline\":\"Presenting at the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-27T10:59:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-27T11:01:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\"},\"wordCount\":733,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/img-9640.jpeg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/presenting-at-the-8th-southern-african-shark-and-ray-symposium\/\",\"name\":\"Presenting at the 8th Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium - 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