Commons

“People need spaces where they can feel free and secure, and which they feel belong to them.”

I was out on the terrace admiring the sunset at Camps Bay. The showers at the beach were swarming with people. Among the crowds, three black kids caught my attention. They were swimming without costumes, so that their wet clothes weighed them down. Once they had finished swimming, I watched as they began to strike their pants and t-shirts on the cement floor to drain the seawater out of the clothes. One of the kids suddenly ran towards the sun and held her clothes in the glare of its rays. The others followed suit. I suppose they thought that the sun would help to dry their more clothes quickly, so that they could go home without trouble.

At that moment, I realised that nature is open and available to everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and religion. Camps Bay has in the past been labelled as a place ‘for white South Africans’, since it is an affluent area — an exclusive playground for the rich. Yet the sun was shining for everyone, regardless of whether they were rich or poor. By extension, I think protecting the Commons and developing shared social resources is really important. Physical land is constantly being carved up by new laws, boundaries and regulations — both visible and invisible. Meanwhile, privatisation is reducing the availability of public spaces. How can we protect our Commons from the profit motive? People need spaces where they can feel free and secure, and which they feel belong to them.

• Traditionally, the term ‘Commons’ refers to the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of society, such as air, water, language, and memories. In the modern context, ‘Commons’ also describes resources like knowledge, information, and social relationships shared by everyone who has an equal interest in those resources.