The Water Between Us

These photographs were taken in January 2022 in the village of Ganvie, Benin, one of the poorest countries in the world. During the colonial era, Benin was a key node in the slave trade. 
Ganvie was born as a refuge — a village on the water. Like many other places across the world, water here was not just sustenance, but a shield.
Today, Ganvie survives entirely on water. Boats are homes, roads, lifelines. Tourists are tolerated but not welcomed. The residents of Ganvie do not perform. They endure. 
“Ganvie” means “we survived”. And they continue to survive.