• The Vezo are people of the south-west coast of Madagascar whose lives revolve around the ocean. Vezo means "to paddle" in the local dialect, and over 80% of families are employed in small-scale fishing, often using a traditional outrigger canoe called a laka. They are attuned to the tides and to the nuanced sounds of the waves breaking on the outer reef that determine when and how the men fish while the women and children collect what is left on the shores at low tide.

    Earning a living from fishing, however, has become increasingly challenging due to diminishing fish stocks from overfishing and climate change. To relieve pressure on natural marine resources and provide a more reliable income, some fishermen have recently started to transition into more sustainable aquaculture activities, such as farming sea-cucumbers.

    As well as a deep connection to the ocean, the Vezo have strong bonds with their ancestors. They are mostly Christians, but also participate in local rituals such as spirit possessions. ‘Sunday to church and Monday to the tsomb (spirit medium)’ a common saying among them, expresses the syncretic nature of their rituals.

    Most of the dwellings in the village are made from reeds, and food is cooked with firewood that is becoming increasingly scarce and must be gathered from scrubland further and further away. There is no electricity or running water, so women and children have to carry fresh water in buckets from wells often situated far from where they live.

    These photographs are fragments from my experience of daily life in Andrevo, a remote Vezo Village where I lived for two months.