For many, surfing is more than the act of riding a curling body of water breaking near the shore. Some see it as a cultural wave that can spread throughout communities and change people’s lives. What began with the Polynesians back in the 12th century and was popularized in the 1950s and 1960s in California and elsewhere has spread worldwide. Surfing has not only become a hobby and professional sport but has a significant influence on music, art, film, literature, and fashion. 

One of the companies making a huge splash in the African surf culture and throughout the world is Mami Wata. The brand’s name comes from the African water spirit that comes in the form of a mermaid with a serpent wrapped around its body. From Morocco to Madagascar, Mozambique to Liberia, Mami Wata (Mama Water) is known to abduct her followers and return them wealthier, more attractive, and with a new spiritual understanding of life.

Another of Mami Wata’s co-founders, Selema Masekela, remembers a time when Black surfing in South Africa was unheard of. His father was from the country, but Masekela grew up in California and New York and decided to come to South Africa post-apartheid. Even though legislation that segregated non-whites had been lifted, it was still unprecedented to see a Black man surf for fun—and that’s exactly what Masekela did. He recalled the other kids looking at him as though he had just stepped off a spaceship. “The police tried to arrest me in Durban because they were so perplexed at what they were seeing,” he told Vogue in 2021. 

One of the other owners of Mami Wata is the creative director and artist Peet Pienaar. Like Masekela, Pienaar believes in the power of “Afrosurfonomics” and the positive impacts of surfing on local communities. “When a place has a great surf break, let’s say in some remote location in Gabon, that break has the potential to generate sustainable income for the community living there. It’s surf tourism,” he told Forbes last year.

The type of apparel, accessories, and surfboards Mami Wata creates are reflective of the slogans, graphics, and patterns of African culture. Not only do they come up with their designs, but Pienaar also collaborates with African artists inspired by local South African culture. They also sell hoodies and prints with popular surf spots throughout Africa. For example, Masekela says you have to check Jeffreys Bay in South Africa off your list if you’re a hardcore surfer. “It’s one of the eight wonders of the world,” he claims.

For those living in the United States who want to get their hands on a piece of African surf culture, Mami Wata also has a shop in Venice Beach, California, and an online shop. Their Robertsport Surf Club Liberia collection includes hoodies, tees, and a surfboard, in which all of the profits fund surf therapy in Liberia. They also plan to launch towels, beach bags, and more. With more collaborations in the works, Mami Wata hopes to keep pushing boundaries and opening up people’s perceptions of African surf culture.