Voyage of the Vézo

The Vezo (VEHzu) are the coastal society of southwest Madagascar. Their world has always relied on the coral reef.Maro Bezozo fishes the reef everyday. He takes what he needs to feed his family and earn a living. As he begins to catch fewer and smaller fish, Maro wonders whether the Vezo's relationship with the ocean has fallen out of balance.He embarks on a voyage that will take him over 100 kilometers north of his home in Ifaty. Sailing from village to village, he will see if the other Vezo also sense this deterioration. Maro's eleven year-old nephew and apprentice, Sambalahy, joins him on the voyage. Even as Sambalahy begins to understand the Vezo way, Maro wonders whether these traditions, and Sambalahy's future livelihood, are passing away with the coral reef.This journey holds exciting encounters with the other Vezo: shark fishermen, sea turtle hunters, veterans and rookies. They sail along virgin coastal landscapes, and over the crystal waters of the 4th largest coral reef in the world.Voyage of the Vezo considers the broader changes in the world through the journey of Maro and Sambalahy. Their experiences provide an intimate view of Vezo society and its delicate relationship with the Tulear Barrier Reef.