Paper short abstract:

The ocean embodies complex, sensory and elemental cultural expressions which are often absent in the blue economy. By advancing food heritage knowledge within anthropological inquiry there is the potential to revalorise intangible cultural knowledge for ocean management education and sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

The ocean embodies meaning, memory and unique cultural expressions which plays out in an intertwined human-nature relationship. From the Namib Desert to the tropical rainforests of Mozambique, the coastline of Southern Africa is a unique melting pot (or potjie pot) of cultures and coastal identities. As such, Southern Africa cannot be defined as a singular culture as the communities in the region have been influenced by forces of social change, such as migration, immigration and colonialism, which has rendered these coastal communities into a mixture of ethnicities and identities. These all contribute to the unique and sensory knowledge production within the blue economy. However, the complexity of these experiences are often absent in the blue economy. I posit that these experiences are not linear, but rather they are sensory, elemental, complex and intricate and that by advancing food heritage knowledge within anthropological inquiry there is the potential to revalorise intangible cultural knowledge for ocean sustainability and ocean management education. By making use of an explorative and qualitative approach along the coast from Namibia to Mozambique, data was collected to understand the lived and sensory experiences of food heritage. While the fieldwork is still on going, the research found participants re-evaluating their daily meals through flame (fire), salt (earth), drying (wind), and the ocean (water). I recommend considering these as crucial for the blue economy agenda, ocean accounting management, and ocean management education. That is, being inclusive of human-nature relationships that considers taste for overall sustainability.