{"id":16367,"date":"2026-08-20T09:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T08:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/?p=16367"},"modified":"2026-08-20T09:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T08:32:01","slug":"from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"From Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"the-content\"><p>Growing up in Magnolia Flats in Paarl, South Africa, I never imagined I&#8217;d one day present my work on an international stage alongside some of the world&#8217;s leading shark scientists. Before Sharks International (SI), I had never left South Africa. By the end of the week, I wasn&#8217;t just returning home with new scientific knowledge; I was returning with a completely different understanding of where I belong in conservation.<\/p>\n<p>Coming from Paarl, I could never really imagine myself in these spaces, and once I immersed myself in the experience at SI, my only wish was that more people from my hood (neighbourhood) could have this experience to break the invisible barriers that limit their imagination and ability to be. But also, to understand how small we and our beliefs really are compared to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My Experience as an Educator Attending Sharks International<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first workshop at SI that I attended, I must confess, was not what I initially expected. I was the only educator in the room; the rest were mostly researchers. The first part of the discussion was around coding, which lost me completely. However, throughout the workshop, it became very relevant as I was thinking of ways to use the site among educators and learners we work with. One of my suggestions was that the site be diversified for uses other than research. To my surprise, this suggestion was received really well after one of the facilitators mentioned how useful it was to have me, as an educator, as part of their workshop.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16369\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 3000px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1.jpg\" class=\"fresco\" data-fresco-caption=\"\" data-fresco-options=\"thumbnails:false\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16369\" src=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1-767x510.jpg 767w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Educator Wade Naude at the rocky shore with learners, teaching them about local marine species. Photo by Liat Dayan| \u00a9 Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Presenting on the World Stage\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As exciting and rewarding as the opportunity was, I would be lying if I said I wasn&#8217;t nervous. Presenting on an international stage for the first time came with its fair share of anxiety, especially knowing that my talk, &#8220;Decolonising the Language and Terminology in Marine Education,&#8221; was scheduled for the very first day of the conference. Even though I had presented this work to a Southern African audience before, the thought of sharing it with an international audience still felt daunting.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the conference, David Shiffman highlighted that this was the first Sharks International to feature a dedicated Science Communication theme. Rather than being grouped under the &#8220;other&#8221; category and scheduled on the final day, these talks were given a prominent place on the programme from the very first day. To me, this reflected the growing recognition of science communication as an integral part of science itself, one that plays an important role in engaging diverse communities, making scientific knowledge more accessible, and ultimately increasing opportunities for meaningful conservation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16370\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 1067px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0.jpg\" class=\"fresco\" data-fresco-caption=\"\" data-fresco-options=\"thumbnails:false\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16370\" src=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0.jpg 1067w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0-854x1280.jpg 854w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/6e32b2dc-e59e-454e-9926-c84a7df2cce0-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wade Naude presenting his talk at Sharks International. Photo by Blue Resources Trust.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The Interconnectedness of Language<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My talk was well received, with many people coming up to me throughout the week, congratulating me and sharing their own experiences with the use of language in marine science. This was mostly relevant for countries where English was not the mother tongue, especially those working with indigenous and aboriginal groups. This was very affirming to hear as it not only showed the large-scale influence of colonial languages in science worldwide, but it also indicated the amount of work that needs to be done to bridge these communication barriers.<\/p>\n<p>Many participants told me they enjoyed hearing the different translations I shared and, in turn, offered examples from their own languages and cultures. For example, in my talk I shared that cartilage is known as &#8220;Kwarm Kwarm&#8221; in isiXhosa. This is not the formally correct term; it refers to the sound and feeling of chewing chicken cartilage, a name rooted in everyday lived experience rather than scientific convention.<\/p>\n<p>Someone from the Seychelles told me that they have a similar name for cartilage in Creole (kranmkranm or krumkrum), which also refers to the sound of chewing chicken cartilage. This was the moment when I truly realised the interconnectedness of languages free from colonial influences, and based on the communities&#8217; lived experiences with those words and terms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conservation is About People<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once my talk was done and my anxiety levels reduced, I was able to give my full attention to the speakers and fully immerse myself in the experience. The talks that stood out for me were the ones focused on sharks and fishing communities, and how resilient communities became part of conservation action on the ground. These talks showed how important it was to involve local and indigenous communities in conservation issues that can impact those communities both directly and indirectly. It was heartwarming to see the different relationships between certain Chondrichthyan species and local and indigenous communities, especially the cultural significance linked to certain shark and ray species.<\/p>\n<p>One story shared by a keynote speaker particularly stayed with me. The story was about a fisher who caught a whale shark, even after having a sufficient catch for the day, and shared how this coincided with some dramatic events in his personal life, which he believed to be connected. Whether understood as a spiritual belief or a moral lesson, the story reflected the deep sense of connection and respect that many coastal communities have for the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>The plenary session on the last day was truly a beautiful way to end the conference. It focused on answering the question &#8220;what do high-level decisions mean for local livelihoods?&#8221; Sarah Fowler, a true force to be reckoned with (or an OG, Original Gangster, as Anna Oposa mentioned), shared the impacts of bad fisheries management, her journey in protecting Chondrichthyes species in the United Kingdom, and the challenges she faced getting some of the species on the CITES listing. Her resilience in taking on institutions higher up in the decision-making process and her progress were really motivating but also highlighted the hard fight we in the conservation space are up against.<\/p>\n<p>Rafid Shidqi&#8217;s presentation demonstrated the importance of meaningfully involving local communities in conservation efforts and decision-making. Many of the ideas he shared resonated strongly with the South African context, particularly the deep spiritual relationships that many Indonesian communities have with the ocean and certain marine species, and the belief that we all come from the ocean and that our ancestors reside there. This belief, often perceived as fear by outsiders, is actually reverence for nature as a more-than-human entity. This view encourages people to approach the ocean with humility, limiting exploitation and nurturing these ecosystems with care.<\/p>\n<p>Rafid also shared about skilled individuals in the Indonesian coastal communities and the knowledge he learned about the ecology of the marine ecosystems and species within them through his time spent out at sea instead of in a classroom. This was an example of how indigenous communities, uninfluenced by colonialism or what we know as &#8220;science&#8221;, have always acted as stewards for these environments as they depended heavily on them to sustain livelihoods.<\/p>\n<p>He also shared that much of the time he spent with fishers extended far beyond discussions about sharks. Instead, he immersed himself in their daily lives, joining community gatherings, participating in ceremonies, and taking the time to understand the people, cultures, and values that shaped their relationship with the ocean. This was beautiful to hear because sometimes connecting with communities needs to be more than just about the conservation of a species, but about understanding the different realities that make up communities and how all these are interlinked. His talk literally turned up the base in my heart and brought tears to my eyes, because YESS!!! For me, this is what true conservation looks like.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My Experience of Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think the only \u201clowlight\u201d for me was when I wasn\u2019t under an air conditioner or a fan, because I really wasn&#8217;t prepared for that humidity. In Paarl, temperatures can rise to above 40\u00b0C, almost 50\u00b0C in some regions. So I was used to the heat, but the humidity caught me off guard. Even getting some fresh air was the worst because then I\u2019d come back inside looking like I had just run a marathon. Despite the humidity, the food was incredible\u2026 but when they say it&#8217;s spicy, they really mean it, especially if they ask you multiple times whether you&#8217;re sure you want it spicy! The locals are super down-to-earth people with so much humility and respect. Apparently, my dreadlocks were a source of fascination for many of the locals. It was one of the funniest experiences. I&#8217;d often catch people staring, and after a while, I&#8217;d simply smile and let them touch my hair.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The people who gave me hope<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest highlights for me was definitely the people that I met. It was inspiring to see people from diverse backgrounds united by a shared passion for chondrichthyans and a common commitment to ocean conservation. There were definitely moments of sadness as people shared their different challenges; however, the hope outshone all of this for me because seeing all these like-minded individuals in the same space made me feel less alone in this fight. Also, learning about the different ways to tackle these conservation issues for sharks and other marine life lightened the burden quite a lot. I even met a lady who sells handbags made from the skin of invasive pufferfish. It may not be directly related to sharks, but it highlights the importance of diversifying livelihoods to support local communities, something I found incredibly inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>Sharks International reminded me that conservation is not only about protecting species, but it is about people, language, culture, and community. I arrived hoping to learn more about sharks, but I left with something even more valuable: a deeper understanding of the kind of conservationist I want to become, and a renewed determination to ensure that more young people from communities like mine can one day see themselves in these spaces too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16371\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 1206px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f.jpg\" class=\"fresco\" data-fresco-caption=\"\" data-fresco-options=\"thumbnails:false\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16371\" src=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1206\" height=\"1058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f.jpg 1206w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f-300x263.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f-1024x898.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/a48df9ae-60fb-4e02-99cd-fd9a8238591f-768x674.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1206px) 100vw, 1206px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Save Our Seas Foundation team at Sharks International. Photo by Blue Resources Trust.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing up in Magnolia Flats in Paarl, South Africa, I never imagined I&#8217;d one day present my work on an international stage alongside some of the world&#8217;s leading shark scientists. Before Sharks International (SI), I had never left South Africa. By the end of the week, I wasn&#8217;t just returning home with new scientific knowledge; [&hellip;]<\/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-16367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka - SOSF Shark Education Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wade Naude shares his journey from Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka, exploring shark conservation, marine education, language, culture and community.\" \/>\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\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wade Naude shares his journey from Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka, exploring shark conservation, marine education, language, culture and community.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-08-20T08:32:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/saveourseas.com\/sosf-shark-education-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dsc-0214-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3000\" \/>\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=\"8 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\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Liat Dayan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e16cee0c910cde136dbce2601ac7ebb0\"},\"headline\":\"From Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-20T08:32:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1713,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/dsc-0214-1.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saveourseas.com\\\/sosf-shark-education-centre\\\/from-magnolia-flats-to-sharks-international-in-sri-lanka\\\/\",\"name\":\"From Magnolia Flats to Sharks International in Sri Lanka - 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