Hippo Point Fishermen

In a wooden boat manned by Kennedy, Paul and Charles, we skirt the shore of Lake Victoria searching for hippos. Rap, rap, rap. Charles beats his wooden oar on the boat to disturb the hippos, calling the hippos to us. Okay, Karen and I laugh nervously, we don't need to see the hippos that badly. As these men cut their oars in and out of the silvery water, we see the lake's fishing industry up close.

In Luo culture, the men do the fishing and the women do the trading. Typically, guys with boats, like the one we're in, will go out at night, net the fish and fill their boat full of Talapia and Nile Perch. The men who fish during the day do so while standing on rocks or floating on traditional crafts. Each fisherman will have around four poles (experts can handle up to six poles), baited and cast. They usually have their worms/bait in a plastic Kimbo container hanging around their neck. We pass two guys in a boat who have a net in a large circle. One of the guys jumps in the water and continually dives to the bottom of the lake, placing the net firmly against the floor, trapping fish in the circle. They then gather the net and dump the catch into their boat.

Hippos stay out of the water during the night and return to the lake early morning. They're in the water by the time we slip past women washing clothes on the lake's edge and men bathing naked and drying in the sun, sitting on rocks the exact color of their skin. The hippos are gathered about 100 yards offshore and they submerge as we approach. They all submerge with the exception of the biggest daddy, who keeps his ears and eyes above water to monitor our approach. We glide past, enjoying the lazy Sunday morning, and the feeling of floating and the sights of the shoreline.