'Peixinho' (Little Fish)
“Peixinho” (little fish), a story about a young man -who is helping to teach the younger generation in his community to swim in order to reduce cases of drownings, as well as teaching the older generation ways in which they can be more sustainable in their fishing practices.
Kaush is our OCL Storyteller Grant 2022 ‘Inspire’ category winner. His story follows a young man, raised in a community that is afraid of the ocean but so dependant on it for their livelihoods. The majority of people are unable to swim and drownings are an agonising part of daily life. One young and budding conservationist is bucking the trend, drawn to the ocean and the amazing life within it, Bento Nhamassua is a 21 year old from Jangamo Bay in Mozambique who is sharing his passion for the ocean with his community.This story follows Bento on his journey to change local perceptions about the ocean, as he teaches the new generations to be able to swim and interact with the water safely, as well as his mission to improve the sustainability of fishing in the area.
““I was incredibly fortunate to win the OCL Inspire storytelling grant last year which allowed me to travel to Mozambique to tell the story of Bento Nhamussua, an incredible young man who is helping to change the tide in his community. The grant allowed me to document Bento’s story via a short film entitled ‘Peixhino’ (little fish) and a photo documentary series.
The aim with this project is to tell Bento’s story to the wider community in Mozambique, to inspire the next generation to love and protect the ocean in the same way as Bento. To show them that the ocean is to be appreciated and respected, not to be feared.
Thanks to the amazing support of Matt, Tamsin and the OCL team, we are one step closer to inspiring a new generation of young Mozambicans to becoming ocean guardians.
Peixhino is scheduled for release in early 2024”