Maps are now our spears: participatory digital counter-mapping Xolobeni, South Africa

In Mpondoland on South Africa’s ‘Wild Coast’ the Amadiba people of Umgungundlovu (Xolobeni) have fought imposed ‘development’ projects since colonial times. In addition to longstanding efforts to mine the titanium-rich sand dunes, the Amadiba people have successfully resisted seismic testing for oil and gas in their coastal waters, and continue to struggle against mass tourism, industrial cannabis production, and a so-called ‘smart city.’ Foremost among these contested projects however, is a national coastal highway, the N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR). Maps Are Now Our Spears (MANOS) was jointly conceived by academics at the University of Johannesburg and the University of KwaZulu Natal, and the Amadiba Crisis Committee. As a participatory counter-mapping exercise, we produced counter-maps of six affected coastal villages directly under threat of of extractive violence. This paper presents the findings of our counter-mapping project, analyses them through a dual lens of necropolitics and critical cartography, and discusses the utility of the maps in supporting resistance to planned and unplanned development. The key contribution of the paper is to highlight the potential of counter-mapping and creative cartography to disrupt the powerful hold of extractivism over Amadiba, and to challenge the dominance of its discursive and material manifestations.