Student’s Research Shines Light on Women’s Role in East African Seaweed Trade

Leaving the Riverdale section of the Bronx, NY, where she was raised, in 2021 Diana journeyed to the East African archipelago of Zanzibar to study the harvesting of seaweed, one of the primary cash crops in the region. She built from that trip a research project, “The Role of Women in Seaweed Aquaculture in East Africa,” that won first prize in the University’s 2022 Student Research Conference. Eye-opening in its details, Diana’s project documented the toilsome conditions endured by workers in a female-dominated industry whose pay averages about $20 per month.

“I’ve been interested in the issue of fair trade all my life,” said Diana, who will graduate next month with a Master of Science degree in International Communication from The Lesley H. and William L. Collins School of Professional Studies.

“I’m also focused on issues related to feminism, so I started thinking about women-run businesses in Africa. This project was the best experience of my life and I would never change it.”

For three months in the summer of 2021, Diana lived among locals in Stone Town, a beach community in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous province of Tanzania in the equatorial Indian Ocean. Hosted by a local family and with help from a translator who spoke limited English, she was able to dialogue with the Swahili-speaking local population, gaining valuable insights into an industry that simultaneously empowers and exploits female harvesters.

Diana traveled across the main island in a tuk-tuk, a golf cart-like vehicle popular with locals. Summer temperatures approached 90 degrees with stifling humidity. 

“I didn’t understand them and they didn’t understand me,” Diana admitted. “But I did learn so much. Of course, I learned about Africa and its people and culture, and I learned about the seaweed industry. But I also learned something about crisis management—how to manage things far from home and how to raise awareness on issues such as this.”

According to The Nature Conservancy, seaweed harvesting is the third-largest industry in Tanzania, employing more than 25,000 farmers, more than 80 percent of whom are women. Most of that seaweed is dried and exported for use as skincare, health care, or food products.

Seaweed farming was introduced to Tanzania in the 1990s. At the time, Tanzanian men did not find it potentially lucrative. Women, on the other hand, saw its potential, and industry jobs have proven to be liberating for them.

Still, working conditions are difficult, and wages reflect Tanzania’s status as one of the world’s poorest countries. For their $20, Tanzanian women harvest about 50 pounds of seaweed each month, crouching low amid the waves and gathering the crop by hand. Most Tanzanian women cannot swim.

“They’re sunburned, there is a lot of salinity in the water,” Diana said. “There are dangers from sea urchins and other creatures. I asked these women, ‘Are you happy?’ They said yes, but they have no other choice but to be happy.”

Diana’s project advocated for just wages for Tanzanian women ahead of what experts believe will be an even greater day in the sun for the seaweed industry. Harvesting is up 75 percent globally over the past 10 years and new uses for seaweed as a plastic and cardboard packaging substitute should only increase demand.

Diana worries that with increased demand might come increased worker exploitation. The Maria Regina High School graduate pointed to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ belief that the purpose of the economy is to serve the common good and “meet the material needs of every member of our human family.” 

“Work,” the bishops said, “is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation,”—a point Diana reminds others.

“Is there dignity in your work? Are you compensated fairly for the work you provide? Is there dignity in the conditions in which you work? These are issues related to fair trade,” Diana said. “If not, it’s not fair.”

St. John’s faculty members Konrad Tuchscherer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of History, and Basilio G. Monteiro, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Mass Communication, pointed Diana toward her issue, knowing how thoroughly she would research it. Diana funded her effort with stipends from a pair of St. John’s Graduate Admissions Assistance Program (GAAP) scholarships she earned with help from Dr. Tuchscherer in his role as Director of External Scholarships and Fellowships.

“No one else seemed to be paying attention to the issue,” Dr. Monteiro said. “It was not on the radar of the mainstream media, especially the question of who is doing the work. Diana suggested we investigate this area from the point of view of women’s exploitation.” 

“She is intellectually curious and has a gentle persistence to her,” Dr. Monteiro continued. “As an activist, she doesn’t shout at people. She talks to them, and that makes people think.”

Diana’s research efforts have added to a growing re-examination of the role of women in Tanzanian society, something that would not have been possible without the guidance of her research mentors, she said. “Dr. Monteiro helped me build valuable professional relationships and connections,” Diana said. “He opened doors to new opportunities and helped me to establish myself as a respected member of the international communications field. Dr. Tuchscherer inspired all the GAAP scholarship applicants to be original and to pursue research that will solve problems and contribute to knowledge.”

A taste of the research process has Diana considering a career in advocacy work, ideally in a marketing or communications capacity, once she earns her master’s degree in May. “I have a few friends in my classes who work for the United Nations,” Diana said. “I find what they do so interesting and could see myself doing that.”