CULTURAL RESISTANCE: Zayaan Khan, cultivating food justice through seeds, art and activism
From a seed library in Cape Town to edible art installations, Zayaan Khan puts food at the centre of her activism and creative work.
Zayaan Khan, a researcher, artist, and activist, cultivates food justice through seeds, art, and activism. Her journey began with her work with the Surplus People Project, where she advocated for agrarian reform and food sovereignty from 2011 to 2016. Khan's passion for combating hunger and creating a fair food system stems from her awareness of hunger along the food chain, even among farmers and fishers.
From 2013 to 2016, Khan coordinated the Slow Food Youth Network South Africa, which aimed to connect and collaborate around the belief that the food movement is a space of connection, health, and wealth. The network allowed Khan to travel to Italy for the biennial Terra Madre Salone del Gusto festival, where she witnessed indigenous people from around the world come together to discuss struggles and solutions.
During her time with the Slow Food Youth Network, Khan collaborated with Tyisa Nabanye, a non-profit urban agriculture organization. Due to the land's official ownership by the military, residents of the area were at risk of forced removal. In response, Tyisa Nabanye organized a market where the Slow Food Youth Network South Africa set up a stall to exchange seeds, highlighting the need for a seed library. Khan opened Seed Biblioteek in 2015, which has since expanded to a second library in Muizenberg Commons in 2025.
Seed Biblioteek allows the public to donate seeds, compost, or publications on seeds in exchange for other seeds. It also hosts events such as workshops, film screenings, zine making, and seed festivals. Khan emphasizes the importance of seed libraries due to the nature of South Africa's seed laws, which she believes implicate farmers' rights and lack public consultation. Seed libraries help keep seeds and the culture of seeds accessible, especially since SA's laws are draconian and oppressive.
Khan's art incorporates seeds as a symbol of both life and death, reflecting the spectrum of life and the grief of the land. Her inspiration comes from the collective heritage of everyone who shares the same space and place. Her recent work focuses on polycrisis, specifically representing global crises through the lens of food.
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