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MADAGASCAR
The fishermen of the
Indian Ocean
On the south-west coast, near Ifaty, the air
smells of salt, seaweed and damp wood.
At dawn, the Vezo fishermen push their ca-
noes towards the sea. They are light vesse-
ls, carved from a single trunk, with sails that
barely withstand the wind. They sail without
compass or watch, guided by the colour of
the water and the direction of the waves.
When they return, they bring the fish still
trembling, clean it on the shore and dry it in
the sun on braided mats. Around them, the
women prepare the nets, the men mend the
sail, and the children run barefoot building
sand boats.
The Vezo call themselves “the people of the
sea”, and their relationship with the ocean
is almost spiritual. Each day of fishing is a
conversation with the tides. They live in ba-
lance between the immensity of the water
and the narrowness of the land, between
necessity and calm.
Batavia, west of Madagascar, province of Toliara.
Fishing village
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