For the first time I realized that the sea does not mean the same for everyone. I grew up in Venezuela and I spent my childhood in contact with the sea. For me, it is about memories. For some it is a place to find peace, a synonym of vacations, something to admire; in other words, the perfect place to live. For others it is the source of food and money, a resource.
Fishing is of greater concern to West Africans, they have some of the world's most abundant fishing grounds but small villages along the coast are not benefiting from it. The intention of this work is to show 6 stories of fishermen in Immuna, a small village located in Ghana’s Central Region. It is a place where fishing has become a difficult job and the roughness of the ocean is changing people’s life.
A sequence of photos is taken for each story, always with the same approach: a portrait, the boat, the tool, the fish, profit, their house and the view towards the ocean. In a very subtle way, this work evidences the spatial and environmental impact of the ocean on the village, as well as the consequences in the economical level. For some it is not an option to like the sea.
“To like the sea is not an option”
Alejandra Loreto
Supervised by:
Andrea Börner and Bärbel Müller
Special thanks to:
Charity Awuku & Family
Emmanuel
Grace
Kojo Hagan
[a] FA IMMUNA Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien