Daba Samoura, Wife of Lost Fisherman, in Senegal

Portrait of Daba Samoura in Thiaroye, Dakar. She is the wife of Mame Djibril Diouf, a fisherman who was lost at sea. For decades small-scale, community fishermen in Senegal were able to provide for themselves, their families and communities by catching fish from the sea. They lived happy lives, in harmony with nature and had a deep connection with the ocean - the ocean would look after them, if they looked after the ocean. However, due to industrial overfishing and illegal fishing the situation changed. These fishermen now have to venture farther and farther out to sea to catch fish that have become out of reach. Because they love their families and communities and are desperate to provide for them, these brave and courageous men cross the seas and risk their lives for food, while industrial trawlers’ nets are full of fish. These brave men, who are their families’ breadwinners, loving and loved by all, are dying at sea. Courage and wanting to care for your family should not lead to your death.