VIDEO: “Mermaids of Timor-Leste”  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

“The making of WAWATA TOPU #35 -
Walking the sea.” Photo by Nuno Da Silva.
A film about four generations of fisherwomen striving to make a living in the coastal village of Adara, in the small island of Ataúro, Timor-Leste is soon to be released – but you can already have a glimpse on what is coming at the Facebook page Wawata topu (Women Divers):
Their daily lives, their economic practices and their vital concerns, as well as the contradicting discourses and social barriers they face, are shown in this ethnographic portrait that makes visible their critical contribution to the household economies and the fishing community at large. Their underwater dancing takes place in a context of rapid social change, where the generalization of the formal education, the progressive consolidation of western moral values and the potential openness of more attractive livelihoods not linked to the sea, seem to be forging a social negotiation of the household economic strategies initiated by the oldest generation during the 50´s.
Have a look at the trailer of Wawata Topu, by David Palazón and Enrique Alonso:
The Facebook page gathers several photos and videos of the making of, including the screening of the work in progress at the Adara village on June 1, 2013.