Photo: Black Mermaid Foundation
On the dive boats, no one else looked like Zandile Ndhlovu, South Africa's first black female free-diving instructor. Now the 34-year-old -- called the black mermaid long before Disney cast black actor Halle Bailey in its remake of the Little Mermaid -- has taken on the role of bringing more children into the water. Ndhlovu has her own documentary out on WaterBear, a free streaming platform, and her foundation, the Black Mermaid, focuses on bringing about change. "I see the parents in shock, they say, 'Never in my life did I think to see my kids under the ocean.' It's a generational thing but it gives them pride and equal status because being in the ocean has been a very exclusive thing, even for people who live close by." A former industrial relations expert, Ndhlovu is now a full-time instructor and runs the foundation mainly out of her own pocket. But she hopes the idea of black African children reclaiming the sea will take hold in her country and beyond.
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