Felicia: The Life of an Octopus Fisherwoman

It is often too easy to paint the picture of biodiversity-rich countries like Madagascar as locals destroying their environment and money and conservationists from the outside saving the wondrous flora and fauna that these countries have. But there are also other important narratives that focus on the struggle of local people to preserve their cultural and biological heritage while at the same time being able to provide their families with food, shelter, and ultimately a better life.

To communicate and raise awareness on the complex drivers of resource exploitation and biodiversity loss in Madagascar, the short documentary film "Felicia: The Life of an Octopus Fisherwoman" tells a story about the connection between social and environmental justice in the southwest coast of the island. A region traditionally inhabited by the Vezo people, the Velondriake (meaning “to live with the sea”) archipelago is home to thousands of spirited fishermen and -women, whose artful way of life is increasingly threatened by poverty, cultural loss, and political marginalization.

To tell this narrative, this film sheds light on the life of one Malagasy woman, whose story can provide a first-hand account on the vicious relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in Madagascar and beyond. After losing her father at age 13, Felicia turns to the sea as a means for sustenance, even when migration, commercial trawling, and socio-cultural fragmentation make small-scale fishing operations an increasingly challenging way of life. Like many Malagasy people, Felicia continues to harvest scarce resources not out of ignorance but out of necessity.

Felicia’s life story, filled with hardships and setbacks, also reveals the resolute temperament that characterizes her and many other women in Madagascar: a steadfast willingness to keep moving forward in the face of adversity, a disposition to keep making the best out of some of the most challenging situations.