Deep in Cambodian mangroves, fishermen and women live off their land. They catch fish, crabs, snails, and more, and because of this deep connection, they have come to love their land. Unfortunately, due to dredging, millions of acres of land (around 59 million tons in 2020 alone) have been taken from these people; as a result, fish and crabs have scattered, forcing people to go farther and farther every day, sometimes coming back empty-handed.
Not only does the dredging make work harder, but after some searching I also learned that people's huts have collapsed in on themselves due to sand dredging affecting the landscape so poorly. Another eye-opening story that Mam told us is how Ka Min (the person whom this documentary follows) used to travel to an island to be alone at night. However, due to the insane amounts of dredging that occur, her island has disappeared.
In this story, land is not just a place where people live, it is a part of their identities as well. the horrific dredging has forced people to move and caused them to earn less as a result of fewer fish to catch. As I watched this documentary, I realized how important it is that we educate ourselves on these issues; nothing can happen if we don't speak about it.
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