By mid-morning, the crowd had already gathered. Those waiting for the overnight fishing boats to dock are mostly women, who come outfitted with knives and buckets. A few men also mill around the shore.
Along the banks of Lake Victoria, fishing runs deep as a cultural livelihood within these lacustrine communities, many of which are Luo.
The energy is buzzing, expectant–rhythms of life here orbit around fish: catching, trading, cleaning, and eating. Even the time spent waiting, as they do now, is an integral part of socialising.
IMG_1472 © Morning on Nduru beach, where ladies and other community members wait for overnight fishing boats to alight. (photo: Kang-Chun Cheng)
‘Would you follow the law if you’re hungry?’
In tandem with fundamental healthcare access issues, the high degree of sexualization endemic to fishing cultures also plays a significant role in HIV and other STI transmission. HIV rates are also amongst some of the country’s most dire, as high as 22-25% by some estimations.
“When you grow up in an environment where
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