Koh Lanta Urak Lawoi
Eric Prinvault offers a photographic and sound immersion into the Urak Lawoi of Koh Lanta, the famous island of the Andaman Sea, in southwest Thailand.
This animist tribe of sailors and fishermen belongs to the big family of “nomads of the sea” of southeastern Asia.
Koh Lanta became their motherland 500 years ago when they discovered it after fleeing from Malaysia where they refused to convert to Islam.
Having always lived in perfect harmony with nature, their culture today is endangered by the consequences of mass tourism, the evolution of the modern world and the transformations related to their mode of subsistence.
During the last two decades, the lifestyle of the Urak Lawoi has experienced many changes including new laws dictated by the National Sea Parks, which signed the end of their nomadic lifestyle. The developers then forced them to leave their traditional habitats on the beaches to move inland and live in solid houses. Moreover, the illegal entrance of trolling boats in the coastal zones are destroying the coral reefs and natural resources, threatening their fishing activity, which is the foundation of their culture and main source of income.
The pollution caused by mass tourism and global warming also contributes to the deterioration of the eco-system. This exhibition presents the endangered culture of this minority tribe trying to resist in order not to disappear…
Eric Prinvault was the winner of the professional grant of the festival in 2011.
April 6th – May 6th 2012
Château de l’Hermine, Vannes
