sand fishers - a sisyphus tale

She is the new generation of sand fishers. Her little steps are like prayers in the sand. And her face, marked by sand and water, tells stories that go far beyond her young age. She is yet full of curiosity about life. She is a Bozo girl. For the Bozo people from the region around the city of Mopti in Mali, fishing on the Niger has always been their main source of income and livelihood. They share a spiritual bond with the river. But now climate change is being felt here too: water levels are low, and only a few fish get caught. As a result, many families leave their villages to become “sand fishers” in the capital, Bamako. The city has an insatiable hunger for cement and sand. The sand from the Niger’s riverbed is perfectly suited for this purpose. With their only tool being a bucket they painstakingly unload their boats and transfer the sand to the waiting trucks which quickly race off and deliver it all over Bamako. It’s a laborious, barely profitable job—and yet the only chance. They are to struggle for survival. A Sisyphus tale.