It doesn’t happen on every surf trip but, every now and then, something happens on the road that deeply changes how you look at the world. I’ve been lucky to go on some incredible trips over the years, but South Africa hit different.
Last year, I was there for what turned out to be the final WSL J-Bay Open. The contest and surrounding festival were a spectacle on the point. But it was what was happening on the fringes, in the township of Pellsrus, that rocked my world. An event called the Jeffreys Bay Community Lunch had grown out of the vision of local surfer Joshe Faulkner, a Pellsrus local, with widespread support and collaboration.
Last year’s event landed almost like a festival, with workshops with professional athletes and live sets from South African stars including DJ DooWap and Youngsta CPT.
Now in its second year, the event has evolved. This time around, Joshe, with support from his organizing team, including the Pellsrus Community School, House of Mandela, and a coalition of local businesses and organizations, moved the focus away from spectacle and toward the mission at its center.
“This year it was less about the spectacle and more about the people and food,” Joshe said. “We wanted to make sure we didn’t lose focus of what the heart of the vision has been and that is food access. Not as a tool to cultivate favor, but as a basic human right.”
Chris Dodds
Around the meal, the team organized a series of community conversations built around understanding and capacity . And because it is Pellsrus, and because South African culture insists on celebration alongside the work, there was a lineup of local DJs and artist performances, followed by a screening of the Springboks vs. Wales rugby match.
This year’s evolution reflects the needs of where the event should go next — less noise, more infrastructure, and the emphasis on food as a basic human right.
Chris Dodds
Joshe grew up in Pellsrus, and against the odds went on to become one of the best surfers from what is widely considered one of the world’s greatest waves. In his own words, surfing saved him from going down the wrong path in life. He won his first Qualifying Series event in 2019 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro and took the South African Surfing Championships the same year.
The Community Lunch is now a fixture on Nelson Mandela Day. It is an activation for an area traditionally overlooked and under-resourced compared to the wealthy enclave of Jeffreys Bay next door. And this year, even with Joshe sidelined by injury, it kept moving and set a tradition that will be hard to forget.
Related: On Nelson Mandela Day, The Spirit of Ubuntu Pulsed Through Pellsrus