• SeaSisters Programme and Community Director Kalpa Gandhari on riding the waves of inclusivity

The SeaSisters is a group of women based in Weligama who believe that the ocean is for everybody. Founded by Martina Burtscher and Amanda Prifti, the group uses swimming and surfing as tools of empowerment and are currently making waves by being showcased at an exhibition on display at Alliance Française de Colombo until 20 July.

The photographs, captured by Munira Mutaher, take the SeaSisters’ story across the globe as they are Sri Lanka’s submission for the ‘Sport Friendly: The Field of Diversity’ project by French photographer Emilien Buffard. At the opening of the Alliance Française de Colombo exhibition, The Daily Morning had the opportunity to speak to SeaSisters Programme and Community Director Kalpa Gandhari on how she joined the organisation and how they were changing the way women interact with the ocean.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Can you tell us about how you joined the SeaSisters?

I’m from Unawatuna. I joined the SeaSisters as a translator, as they were looking for one. The other reason I joined them was because I didn’t know how to swim. I didn’t get the opportunity to learn in my childhood, even though I grew up and lived by the ocean. After joining them, I started to learn swimming and surfing as well.

The SeaSisters is trying to build a small community, and even though I started as translator, I then became a programme manager and now I’m one of the directors of SeaSisters.

How does SeaSisters go about encouraging girls and women to surf?

Typically, coastal villages are impacted by various gender stereotypes and most women don’t come out themselves to do things because of traditional gender roles. They don’t feel like they have the time for recreational activities. Cultural reasons also contribute to this. They don’t see these activities as things they should do.

We see women on the beach, but we don’t see them actively engaging with the ocean, which is why we want to encourage them. Surfing is a big industry and we want to empower women and take them out into the sea. At SeaSisters, we use surfing and swimming as tools of empowerment.

Did you yourself face any of these stereotypes or challenges when joining SeaSisters?

When I look back, I see that I was an open-minded person, but overall, people have a bad picture of tourism and tourists. So while I didn’t personally face any issues, as someone from a typical community or background, coming out of my comfort zone wasn’t easy. For example, my mother understands what I do, but if I try to explain my work to my extended family, they won’t understand why I am doing this work or the benefits of it.

Have other surf clubs in the area been encouraging?

At the start, it was hard to even find a swimming pool because people would say they can’t take the responsibility, especially since we were teaching people how to swim. Most people don’t know how to swim and it’s not possible to teach surfing if they can’t swim. So, at the beginning, it was challenging.

When people see something new, they are curious about what it is and they have their doubts. But now, things have changed and they know about our work. There are many economic opportunities in the industry, and there is no backlash as of now.

Looking at the photography showcase, what was it like being featured, especially as you are part of a much bigger global project?

One reason for there not being a lot of women who surf is the lack of role models in the Sri Lankan context. You see a lot of foreigners surfing but there aren’t a lot of Sri Lankan female surfers. Therefore, as an organisation, we like to show and tell people about what we are doing.

When Alliance Française de Colombo contacted us and told us about the showcase, we were very excited and wanted to be a part of it. Surfing is a male-dominated sport in Sri Lanka, which means that there are a lot of people who surf, but if you look at surf spots, you mainly see men doing engaged in the sport. We represent the inclusivity of this sport and also make it a safe space for women to come together and enjoy it.

How was it working with the photographer, Munira Mutaher?

As an organisation, we have mainly worked with volunteer photographers. In this project, we worked with a Sri Lankan female photographer and that was a different experience. When working with Munira, she was always trying to understand us and our work and we had a good communication. Before the photoshoot, she visited us a few times to talk to us and made friends with the girls. And so, by the time the photoshoot happened, we were well connected. It is also very inspiring to see female photographers in action.

How do you feel about the way you have been presented in the photographs, especially since many are wearing sari?

This is an international project with 22 sports teams from 16 countries taking part, so we needed to represent Sri Lanka, even though surfing and similar sports didn’t originate in Sri Lanka. However, the sari represents ourselves and our identity, which we why we chose it. And it is also something people wear in their day-to-day lives.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

I would like to invite people to come and see the showcase.

I also want to say that there are lots of girls and women in Sri Lanka who don’t get the chance to do new things in life because of thousands of different reasons. But they need to come out of their comfort zones and do what they love. We are a small organisation with hopes of developing and expanding in the future, especially now that we are gaining visibility. So if anyone would like to join us, they can reach out to us via our website or social media and connect with us.

We may not see any drastic changes in the near future – that will take time – but we hope there will be some changes in the future.