[imagesource: Brenton Geach]

If you were at the V&A Waterfront or Kalk Bay harbour at the right time in the last week, you might have noticed strange hooded figures in red or blue fabric walking around with a rope.

Confusion reigned on social media. No, it was not the Handmaid’s Tale Cape Town edition, or the EFF, or the Spanish Inquisition, or Squid Game, or Lady Gaga.

South Africa likes to make jokes about real problems (call it survival) but what has been happening is rather more serious and urgent.

Last Friday morning, a silent artistic demonstration was held by two separate troupes of environmental activists – part of the global Extinction Rebellion network – to protest against companies drilling and spilling oil and gas in oceans all over, including right on our doorstep.

There were the ‘blue rebels’ who walked around the Kalk Bay harbour:

The ‘red rebels’ then made their appearance at the V&A Waterfront later that same day, with this video shared by Cape Town Etc:

@masbandakudzi Wtf are those people doing in waterfront🤣🤣🤣 the first thing that comes to mind is Satanism in Africa #capetown #waterfront #southafrica ♬ Oh No – Kreepa

Extinction Rebellion Cape Town also shared this on Twitter:

Red rebels at the Cape Town Waterfront this afternoon mourned the killing of our oceans and coastal habitats by oil & gas companies. Statues of sustainable development Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela witness the scene. #Oceanazo #SaveTheWestCoast#StopSeismicBlasting pic.twitter.com/B79LyFgYuK

— Extinction Rebellion Cape Town (@CtxRebellion) February 4, 2022

As you know, South Africa’s oceans have faced threats from companies, such as Shell, which want to conduct seismic surveys along our coastline.

A similar problem is occurring on the coastlines of 19 other countries including Peru, Argentina, and Germany.

Activists are now out in full force and attention-grabbing garb to support Extinction Rebellion’s action against what they call “neo-colonialism, corporate power and environmental destruction”:

This Friday! February 4th. International Coastline rebellion to demand an end of coastal drills and spills. XR actions in Gauteng and Cape Town. Reply to get more info. #ozeanazo#saveTheWestCoast #Weskus #EndFossilFuels pic.twitter.com/BC3jKZn4uw

— Extinction Rebellion Cape Town (@CtxRebellion) February 1, 2022

Judy Scott-Goldman, an academic editor who was part of the demonstration of ‘blue rebels’, explained more via The Daily Maverick:

“So it’s like activism, but it uses art,” said Scott-Goldman, explaining the idea behind ‘artivist’ groups.

“When a protest is going on, and you’ve got a lot of noise and sound, people shouting, slogans or whatever — the artivist troupe is silent — it’s mime, it’s carrying the emotion.”

The ‘blue rebels’ symbolise marine animals getting trapped in fishing gear, “and the fact that we ourselves are trapped in systems that are breaking the ocean environment,” added Scott-Goldman:

The rope also references their support for small fishing communities along the Wild Coast and West Coast, who are “frightened that they will lose their livelihoods if oil and gas should be found” where they work.

[sources:capetownetc&dailymaverick]