Breaking
the Waves
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Ways of resilience and resistance are the Xávega ways, an almost extinct art of traditional fishing still practiced at Costa da Caparica, Portugal.
Brave men and women adventure themselves, breaking the waves through rough seas, casting the fishing nets at 2 kms from shore, and retract them with the force of tractors (instead of the traditional use of animals), in tides of luck or mischance, which often aren't enough to pay a day's work.
These harsh ways don't discourage the fishermen or their families, nor diminishes their generosity and sense of humour, which are a constant at Xávega, where we've always been welcomed with warm friendliness and feisty jokes.
When fisheries go well, the fish arrival on land transfigures the symbiotic relationship between fishermen and seagulls.
Despite caring for their winged companions, leaving them fish remains and taking care of those who are sick, fishermen have to fight for the scarce fish, which makes the source of their daily income.
The battle between man and nature gains epic contours, with fierce duels for survival between fishermen and seagulls, which invade by the hundreds without asking for permission.
Fishermen and women, in a tremendous numerical disadvantage, exhausted after a day's work, do not lower arms until they have guaranteed the safe keeping of the fish.
The skies are torn by fishermen and seagulls' restless blasphemys and curses, reminding us of the fragil balance of this ecosystem.
The uncertainty of chance marks the life of Xávega workers and if there's a a good day of cathings, the fishermen can't afford to ignore the tides of luck nor the sea's offerings, and extend the day's work into the night, making up for worst days to come.
