Portrait of Nana Yaw Agie

Nana Yaw Agie in Kete Krachi has seen a significant decline in his fish catches, from 5 buckets to as little as half a bucket per season. He now uses far more nets and still catches plastic and rotten fish, leading him to wish for his children to pursue different livelihoods.

“When water cries” is a collaborative project between the photographers Fibi Afloe and Amelie Koerbs examining the connection between nature and humans as well as humans effect on communities along the Black and White River in the Gonja Kingdom, Ghana. The project highlights the interplay between human actions, climate change, and other environmental issues, as well as the resulting effects. It starts to question: Who should be held responsible when humans and nature struggle?

The Gonja Kingdom in the Northern part of Ghana has its natural borders of the Black and White Volta. For the past years humans decided to benefit from these water bodies on a much larger scale by constructing dams which produce electricity and water supply for irrigation. The Akosombo dam on the Volta Lake (built in 1963, Eastern Region, Ghana), the Bagré dam on the- White Volta (1994, Burkina Faso) and Bui dam on the Black Volta (2013, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana) are impacting the area of the Gonja Kingdom. These dams form a massive interference with nature and while bringing electricity and water supply, they also threaten the livelihoods of many people living along the Black and White Volta River.

“When water cries” is a story about water being hurt. It is about water not being treated fairly, it is about water not being respected and it is about water not being taken good care off. If we start listening to water, we will know that water can no longer bear all these pains. If we start listening to water, we will hear it cry.