2018 Photo Contest, People, 2nd prize

Finding Freedom in the Water

Photographer

Anna Boyiazis

28 December, 2016

Swimming instructor Chema (17) snaps her fingers as she disappears underwater, in Nungwi, Zanzibar.

Traditionally, girls in the Zanzibar Archipelago have been discouraged from learning how to swim, largely due to the absence of modest swimwear. But in villages on the northern tip of Zanzibar, the Panje Project (panje translates as ‘big fish’) is providing opportunities for local women and girls to learn swimming skills in full-length swimsuits, so that they can enter the water without compromising their cultural or religious beliefs.

About the photographer

Anna Boyiazis

Anna Boyiazis is a documentary photographer based between Southern California and East Africa. Committed to healing and liberation, her areas of focus include human rights, publi...

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/160
Focal length
35.0 mm
F-Stop
16.0
ISO
250

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