Synopsis:
A full moon reflects off the black surface of Lake Victoria as Oketch and his crew battle the violent waters in thin wooden boats. The rough and tumble group paddle over two hours in silence to a small, desolate island and work through the night laboriously dragging fishing nets to the shore. They work in a remote location, under the cover of darkness to evade fisheries officers and make a living with illegal, environmentally destructive nets.
After years of unchecked exploitation, the lake has been stripped of nearly all its natural resources and international institutions are funding environmental protection laws that prohibit most commercial fishing. Fishermen like Oketch are being forced to make a dramatic choice: evade the law and continue to degrade the lake’s ecology or run the risk of not being able to provide for his 15 children. “That’s why we must steal,” Oketch says, “despite the threat of arrest.” Told with unconventional narration, The Captain shows how the intimately personal stories of the Okech’s family intersect with globalization, environmental destruction, and personal responsibility.
