The life of Negombo’s Oruwa fishermen-BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE The fishermen just came from the sea Source:Sundayobserver One sunny morning, I was at the Negombo Lagoon to do a photographic essay on the daily life of Karawa fishermen whose Oruwas (sailing boats) take a spectator to a time when man was quite close to the elements and had to battle the forces of nature. The Negombo Lagoon and Duwa is an ideal place to watch fishermen at work. Each morning, except Sunday, fishermen of Negombo, many of them live in the small island of Duwa across the Lagoon, but connected by motorable causeway, bring their daily catch of crabs, prawns, seer and other fish. Then, they mend their nets on the beach. The principal tool of the trade is the Oruwa, a dugout outrigger canoe which bears similarities to those used in the Comoro Islands off Mozambique, Africa. It has been ...

Read More →