FINAL DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 15TH - SHOW YOUR BEST WORK!
Honorable Mention / People: Documentary
BACK TO GALLERYprev
next
Cham Community
Cham Community
The banks of the Chroy Changva peninsula in Phnom Penh, where the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers merge, is home to a community of around 300 families who live on fishing boats in extremely precarious conditions. Many of the boat dwellers are members of the Cham, a predominantly Muslim minority that has its own language and history and is distinct from the Khmer people. With fishing as their main source of income, the families have lived on the river for generations.
The authorities have repeatedly ordered them to leave their riverside dwellings. Since 2012, the boats have been moored in the shadow of the $100-million Sokha Hotel. Selling fish has become difficult because the marketplace is so far away. Furthermore the owner of the Sokha Hotel, are forcing the community to move off the narrow strip of land where their boats are anchored.
Steff Gruber’s documentation of the lives of the Cham Community is part of an ongoing long-term project on the landless poor communities in Cambodia.