FILMS / ANIMATIONS / STORIES
Vital ocean voices
An online anthology produced by Greenpeace consisting of writing, films, animation and poems that document efforts of ocean protection
By Vandana Babu Menon (menonvandana93@gmail.com), Media Professional and Content Writer, Bengaluru, India
Be it the seven year-old Kylian who helped stop the spread of an oil spill in Mauritius, or Madame Kokoly, an artisanal fisher who relies on the ocean for survival or Aurelie, a scientist whose father is a Mauritian fisherman – Vital Ocean Voices gives voice to the many stories of ocean protection and human courage among coastal communities.
A Greenpeace project that aims to support and amplify local communities in sharing their stories of ocean protection, Vital Ocean Voices brings to life these stories in many forms – as videos, poems, animations, and writings, the voices in the film capturing the transformation of livelihoods over the years.
It explores the intimate relationship that the land and we humans share with the ocean. It also paints a grim picture of the disastrous impacts that destructive fishing vessels have had on the coastlines of Mauritius, Seychelles, and Madagascar.
These impacts are not just limited to the destruction of ocean and marine resources. How they will affect the lives and livelihoods of coastal dwellers and the food security of millions is a question yet to be answered.
By cutting his curls (which he was extremely fond of!) and urging people to act via his YouTube channel, little Kylian, at the tender age of seven, is already playing a unique and special role in highlighting the devastating impact of an oil spill in the ocean. His appeal has motivated the setting up of barriers to absorb oil spillages. His is an act that may appear to be small yet it carries such vital significance that it demonstrates that no one or no step is too little or unimportant in this cause.
Another inspiring story is that of Aurelie, a conservation biologist, who has emerged as a beacon of hope for the future of the environment in her country – Mauritius. Through her many roles, she has been able to protect the island, monitoring the health of plants and animals while, at the same time, trying to restore the island to its natural state. She played a major role in cleaning the coastal areas of marine debris which was destroying her community’s life support systems, a visible reminder of the destructive capacities of callous human actions. Now with a fellowship to help raise awareness in Mauritius, she is on a dedicated journey towards the protection of marine and terrestrial life.
Vital Ocean Voices also showcases the story of Madam Kokoly, sometimes referred to as the Iron lady of Madagascar, who has a towering presence in her community. As the Greenpeace website explains, Madame Kokoly is a member of the Vezo community, a semi-nomadic seafaring people whose way of life depends on the ocean – ‘vezo’ loosely translates as “to live with the sea”. Through her work, Madame Kokoly shines a spotlight on the issues affecting small-scale fisheries across the tropics and demonstrates the urgent need to address the extreme poverty that her people face.
The narratives, videos, animations that make up Vital Ocean Voices amplify the voices of marginalised individuals living on the frontlines of climate and ecological breakdown and describe what it is like to be on the forefront of ocean destruction.
Please visit the project homepage for links to all the films described here, and for other resources:
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/48662/vital-ocean-voices/
