As big fans of her witty and lighthearted comics, we were thrilled to connect with Anju Sabu (she/her) - @ohdakuwaqa creator of the jawsome "Oh, Dakuwaqa" series!
Dive in with us as we talk drawing, sharks, and conservation with the talented Anju. Don't forget to follow along with her on social media and share in some shark-filled laughs.
My love for sharks started when I was about 7 or 8 - watching Nat Geo documentaries and from this Reader’s Digest book on sharks my dad has. “Jaws" made me even more interested. They’re just too fascinating and beautiful to not love!
I’ve always enjoyed drawing - kind of had to because I’m terrible at other creative outlets like music or dance haha. I never had any formal training so I guess it’s just something I do more for fun than extremely professionally.
Sharks are the most fascinating creatures I’ve ever seen and they need our respect, admiration and help if we need them to survive. I hope my cartoons will spark some interest, bring some humour and joy, tell people something exciting and at the very least, get them to admit that these are not some ordinary fish.
Q.) What is your connection to Oh, Dakuwaqa? How did this lovable series get started?
It started with a doodle when I was in school. Then resurfaced years later when I had a personal blog. I used it to illustrate some point I was making. And then I did it some more. Eventually, it was because someone contacted me about doing something against the finning that make me get deeper into it and develop the character and the series.
I just wanted to tell those who may not know, that “Oh, Dakuwaqa!” was the name I gave my series. Dakuwaqa isn’t the name of my shark nor is my shark representative of Dakuwaqa the shark god from Fiji. It does confuse a few but some say the name is intriguing so I’ve let it stick.
Q:) If you woke up as a shark tomorrow, which species would you be and why?
I’ll go with the White Shark because:
a) It’s my favourite for numerous reasons
b) They aren’t overtly social but not entirely unsocial
c) Everyone’s excited when a Great White shows up!
Q:) What advice do you have for someone wanting to bring their art to the next level? I’m the worst person for this advice because I can’t claim to be an expert on this. I’m winging it half the time and sporadically at best. But I have had experiences in having work used without permission and issues with visibility. Always sign and date your work. Social media works to some extent but they expect you to pay and end up having some fake profiles liking your posts. If you want to stick to online platforms, just put yourself out there, everywhere and spend time interacting with others and marketing yourself well.
Q:) Has your success been good for you and your cause- what struggles or lessons have you taken away from your experiences? I’ve had some peaks and some lows. Some of my artwork have been a source of pride - the “Join the shark side” for instance. Of course, I can’t capitalise on it because of the star wars reference. But honestly, what truly makes it worth while is if I get a random note from a stranger saying they liked something I did. Or if whenever I’ve had a stall, people recognising my work. I wish I had worked harder at getting myself out there.
Q:) You've been a great inspiration for other people through your work. Do you have a shark hero, who do you admire, or is there someone you'd want to work with in the future? I admire anyone who creatively work with sharks in different forms - and there are quite a few out there at the moment - Sharktopia, underdone comics, Victor Douieb, etc. I’m also very thankful to shark conservationists like Cristina Zenato, David Shiffman, Jillian Morris, HHH (Fredrik Myhre), Alex Shuh and others.
When I was starting out, one of my heroes - Phil Watson from Shaaark! actually wrote to me to do a collaboration with Jim Toomey (Sherman’s lagoon). That was a BIG deal for me. So they are heroes in more ways than one because I was a nobody and they were happy to have my comic alongside theirs.
Q:) How do you try to impact shark/ocean conservation in your community?
It’s a bit hard to convince some of my local areas that do eat shark not to overfish them because much of the livelihood revolves around fishing. They also wouldn’t appreciate art as much. However, I’d like to think I have influenced some of those in my reach with the cartoons - for instance, I’ve had people tell me that their views on sharks have changed. Those who used to have an irrational fear now are somewhat curious and even fascinated. My close friends and family don’t eat shark. It’s a bit of a win.
Q:) Have you had instances of people talking to you about sharks after seeing your work? Have you found a way to get through to people/communities that may not care about sharks/ocean? Yes, quite a few talk to me about sharks. Inevitably, I get asked “why sharks?” for which I give them my 13 reasons! All of my friends send me any shark related meme/ link/ picture they find. I especially enjoy shark themed goodies that sometimes come my way.
Sharks are still so misunderstood that people find it curious as to why someone would bother drawing them. This gives me an opportunity to have a conversation about them and sometimes they do admit that they learnt something they never knew about sharks. And if they find it interesting enough, the next time they see something on sharks on tv or the internet, they stop and watch. That’s a tiny bit of hope.
Q:) What tools do you use in the field? What are you studying, what equipment or techniques do you use to gather information that is aiding in conservation efforts?
I’m not an expedition leader, haha. But I do try and read up on sharks and news and facts whenever I can - one can always learn something new about them. There are some great sources out there. My absolute favourite book at the moment is “Sharks of the world” - a must have!
Q:) What’s your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment in regard to sharks or conservation? If any of my work brought someone happiness or helped raise awareness or was auctioned off for a conservation campaign, it was a proud moment. There are a few such moments - the collaboration with Shaaark! and Sherman’s Lagoon, Join the Shark Side, Sharks are friends not food, A to Z of sharks, Shark facts - I was especially proud of these works.
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