Swahili

Gilles Nicolet`s images present a tribute to the people and landscape of the Swahili coast, the eastern boundaries of Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, and display with artistic imagery a way of life that has existed since the dawn of time, but is being fast eroded by the intrusion of modern commercial practice. Nicolet first went to the Swahili coast some 30 years or so ago and fell in love with it`s empty, wild beauty, the breadth of the sky and the ever present ocean that provides sustenance and income for the indigenous populace. He returned recently armed solely with a 35mm lens, intent on transcribing his memories into images for posterity, determined to discover what was left, what had changed and to better understand how the population, who had occupied these shores for thousands of years, live today. His contemplative and beautiful images of the fishermen and their families, entirely dependent on the once rich harvest from the seas, but now in danger from commercial overfishing of the area, brilliantly evoke the endangered lifestyle. He provides extensive captions to the images, often outlining the economic background involved. See more