The real challenge for ‘Ocean Literacy for all’

As the UNESCO prepares for a global Ocean Literacy roadmap, the real challenge remains with getting the message right for diverse communities and cultures around the Planet.

The package of ‘Ocean Literacy’ which currently available and promoted by some organizations from the global north, with all it’s concepts, principles, and framework improvised using Eurocentric narratives and philosophies of education that are exclusive to some parts of southwestern Europe and northern America.

Now, as Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and it’s Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe based in Venice, Italy has started to facilitate a roadmap building process for ‘Ocean Literacy for all’ campaign, it should prioritise on making this campaign about assisting the conceptualizing and preparatory process of local Ocean Literacy programs around the globe.

It is obvious that the question is not about disciplines of science which contributed to the Ocean Literacy concepts, principles and frameworks developed, for example, by COSEE members The Ocean scientists and educators in the United States, they are certainly the fine people to do that, to interpret the sciences and construct a new narrative to mainstream Ocean conservation into education in the global north.

The challenge is, the narrative is not universal, and it does not need to be.

Let us explain, there are places where it will be problematic if not unnecessary to make this principle ‘the earth has one big Ocean with many features’ is a must for Ocean Literacy as such. Because unlike European spheres (in some parts of Europe and North America), people in the other regions easily relate to the global ‘interconnectivity’ of social and ecological systems. For example, in many places, people can best relate to the ‘interconnectivity’ of Ocean Basins without rendering it into ‘one’ in number. There are places where ‘seven seas’ approach is culturally more helpful for the people to acknowledge the interconnectivity, and act accordingly. And there are places, where this ‘oneness’ is inherent in the culture, it’s nothing new to ‘learn’.

Jibanananda Das
For hundreds of millions of people in Bengali Linguo-cultural regions in Asia the narrative of ‘Seven Seas’ connect people to the Global Ocean as a unique, interconnected water body. So do they need to memorize/follow a new ‘principle’ of ‘one Ocean’? Or it is more reasonable that, they build the sustainability approach upon this cultural strength? Bengali or Bangla is the seventh most spoken native language in the world by population. And, even at last century, popular poets like Jibananda Das (pictured here) was able to connect the audience with the notion of global Ocean without necessarily building a narrative of singularness.

Like that, people in different Oceanscapes around the planet have different world-view and associated narratives for linking our well-being to that of the Ocean.

So, it’s nearly impossible to have a ‘universal’ narrative or template message for all nations. And, that’s not a challenge, that’s an opportunity to build upon local strengths and to improvise message which makes sense to communities around the planet.

Besides, the limitations of formal education need to be taken into consideration. We have generations who already have passed through it without an exposure to Ocean Literacy, generations who have very important roles as decision-makers in the society and state. Also, there is huge gap in education and general Literacy among regions. In many regions, Ocean Literacy campaigns or program will not be able to reach out most of the people, if strategies equally accommodating informal and public education out outreach sectors are not prioritized in the roadmap.

If we make some bullet points about what any global or multi-national roadmap on Ocean Literacy should include for avoiding making it another ‘parachuting’ campaign, for getting the message across the north-south divide, for avoiding undermining and alienating local communities by telling them ‘Ocean Literacy’ is new thing which they need to embrace, and finally for effective use of resources by building on local strengths; the very short list will look like this.

  1. 1. The program development process for the campaign and preparation of the contents should be totally bottom-up.
  2. The main focus should be facilitating local communities and other stakeholders in different Ocean basins to come up with their own concepts, principles of Ocean Literacy rooted in their own society and culture; and to build the framework according to their institutional requirements. Also, the content should be prepared in the communities, translating from a ‘universal’ one must be avoided.
  3. As the sectoral target of the campaign, informal education sectors, public education, outreach, youth work, for instance, should be given equal importance.

This is all for now. We hope to elaborate and work on this in the coming months. You are welcome to take part by contributing your thoughts.