Cinematographer & Co-Director: Nisa East
Producer: Weenta Girmay

Every sunset the chants of fishing crews can be heard echoing off the smoky, green hills above Lake Kivu. As night falls over the lake, bright flames are what lure the sambaza fish to the surface.

The fishing crews of Gisenyi share songs, they share knowledge of the lake and - as a cooperative - they share in the profits of their labour. Fishing with Fire is a short documentary about the intersection of labour & identity, and how we conceive of ourselves and those around us when individual material gain is no longer the driving force.

Through the daily rituals of the young men and women who work on the boats, we learn how worker solidarity has shaped reconciliation in Rwanda 25-years post genocide.

*Fishing With Fire is currently in development, and was selected as part of the 2019 Southern Producers lab.