PUBLICATION DESIGN

Intro: In recent years, more black individuals have begun to join the surfing community and re-establish a connection with the ocean. Currently, racism and adversity are present, and black surfers are continuing to battle for their right to be in the water.

Insights: The modern surf cultures emerging along Africa’s vast shoreline are not entirely new or imported—they represent a rebirth, a rediscovery, and reimagining of traditions that date back over a thousand years. The earliest known account of surfing was documented in the 1640s in what is now Ghana, but surfing independently evolved along the coasts from Senegal to Angola. With thousands of miles of warm, wave-rich waters, Africa has long been home to skilled swimmers, seafaring fishermen, and merchants who understood surf patterns and mastered surf-canoes capable of riding waves over ten feet high. African wave-riding customs that date back hundreds of years can be linked to the origins of surfing in the African American community. Although enslavement and prejudice kept many Black Americans from participating in that tradition, many learned Polynesian surfing in the middle of the 20th century on segregated beaches. Today, a lot of Black surfers are addressing their common past and the pervasive racism in the surfing world.

Solution: A conceptual magazine that highlights current events within the Black surfing community while showcasing personal stories and experiences from Black surfers in the water.