ROSINE NSIMIRE & ALESSANDRO MUSETTA DRC
Agathe, the matriarch above the water is a mixed-media digital publication documenting the experiences of artisanal fisherwomen from Lake Kivu. In Rosine & Alessandro’s own words “With our project we listen to and artfully give back [Agathe’s] memory and knowledge, recognising the role of all the fisherwomen and matriarchs…as custodians of the waters and lands…We expect this organised collection of materials to propagate the idea that socio-ecological change must be built through the rehabilitation of traditional ecological knowledge foundations.”
Rosine and Alessandro met in Goma, provincial capital of the North Kivu, where Alessandro was engaged into activities of scientific communication and creative reporting about environmental degradation in the eastern forest sectors of the Congo Basin. Rosine, a cultural leader, women's reproductive rights activist, ecofeminist from the lake region, and executive directress of ALLIANCE pour la VIE Asbl, introduced him to fisherwomen's coops. Together, they made the decision to enter into a cooperative agreement.
