Since our time began here in Naivasha, we’ve talked a lot about fishermen and their relationship with the lake. During these talks it seems that these fishermen are always MEN. Today, while visiting a local public beach, we learnt about something new, fisherWOMEN.
We expected to see a beach with people relaxing, swimming and sun tanning. Instead, we saw something completely different. There were so many people there: women cooking food, motorcyclists, a man with a camel that rolled around on the ground like a dog, teenagers hanging around, lots of fishermen, but more notably, fisherwomen. One woman told us her story of how she was there since early in the morning and was still working at 5 PM. She spends time on her boat fishing and then comes back to the beach to sell her fish. Fishing is her livelihood as she does this everyday. We noticed many other women around her doing the exact same thing. We feel like these hard-working fisherwomen are the untold story of Lake Naivasha. We wondered about her life outside of being a fisherwoman. Who else is she supporting? Is she the sole breadwinner? And what other sacrifices does she make in order to be a fisherwoman?
By: Olivia Petersons (MMASc in Global Health Systems in Africa Candidate); Aleksey Paltsev (PhD and Collaborative Program in Global Health Systems in Africa Candidate); Joyce Mutiso (BSc Egerton University)
The Africa Institute Blog 