Ghosts of the Indian Ocean

"Ghosts of the Indian Ocean." Agenda, 37(3), pp. 165–166

Notes

1 A version of this poem was recited at Time of the Writer, 2023, in Durban, South Africa.

2 Whaling in Durban, introduced by the Norwegians in 1907, continued until around 1975. “They used 75kg metal harpoons loaded with explosives. The whaler would pump the dead whales with compressed air so that they could float. The dead whales, as much as six at a time, would then be towed back to Durban” (Govender & Chetty 2014, pp. 97-9).

3 Many of my ancestors arrived in South Africa, via Durban harbour, directly or indirectly, as a result of indenture, a system of servitude that replaced slavery after its abolition. Indenture primarily serviced the plantations, focussing on monocultures such as sugarcane.

4 The Sivananda Ghat at the Clare Estate Crematorium is a sanctum that holds water from the Ganges in a chlorinated pool. Those wishing to dispose of the ashes of their loved ones may do so at the Ghat. The ritual uses the water from the Ganges to flush the ashes through a chute that leads into the Umgeni River.

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Notes on contributors

Pralini Naidoo

PRALINI NAIDOO is a PhD candidate at the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of the Western Cape (UWC). Her research focuses on erased/ hidden narratives of women who have descended from indenture in South Africa, and their relationships to earth, seed, food, and the other-than-human. She is the author of Wild has Roots, a collection of poems, reflections and short stories. While her poems primarily centre on the meditative art of noticing the every-day, they are also invocations, inviting exploration into buried and silenced wisdoms. She also writes about women and girls who dream, love, make courageous decisions, and save their own lives. As a Black woman and mother, Pralini is passionate about social and environmental justice. Her work appears in various publications including Teesta Review, BKO Magazine, Anthology – Women’s poetry of India and South Africa, Dreams as R-evolution Artbook, and Pluriversal Conversations on Transnational Feminisms. Email: [email protected]