Raised Voices: Mami Wata x Roark

Not many know this but the modern adventure-lifestyle brand known as Roark is not a brand, but a man: a sun-gilded scruffian with smoke in his hair, bodega spirits in his blood, and an eternal horizon reflected in his shadowy irides.

He moves about the world, unseeing of boundaries but respectful of all lands; absorbing each culture’s aroma with an inhale of recognition and a scribble in his weather-worn journal. His experiences are destined to be retold in time – not through words but through purposeful objects that empower others to depart on their own personal odysseys of discovery.

Okay, maybe Roark is a brand, but its ethos is rooted in an idyllic persona – an amalgamation of who and what we hope to be: sophisticated yet salt-of-the-earth, worldly but not jaded, and more interested in being interested than in being interesting.

As the consummate traveler, it’s expected that Mr. Roark would eventually find himself exploring the vast land and coastline of Africa, relaying the region’s unique tales through his itinerant lens. You, too, can discover the complex and colorfully nuanced past, present, and future of surf culture across the African diaspora through the Mami Wata X Roark gallery and pop-up store, open through the end of September.

A range of 20 framed photos and graphics from AFROSURF – a 320-page volume that explores the diversity of the surfing experience as it plays out in the Motherland – are exhibited, along with a range of apparel and other goods as well as copies of the book.

Proceeds will benefit African surf therapy organizations, Waves for Change & Surfers Not Street Children. Learn more and see all prints available for purchase through the pop-up here.