the sea, harvesting fish, seashells, octopuses and crabs. By
9am she is back home, cooking rice and baking bread, taking
care of her family, and brewing tea for the backpackers who
visit the Detwah Lagoon. In the early 2000s, the island became
something of an eco-tourist haven. Travellers who weren’t
afraid of pirates or violent storms, and who could bear to
spend 10 days without a warm shower, began backpacking
their way to Socotra.
Kind to animals but harsh with people, Sadiya watches the
locals as sternly as she does the tourists who come to Detwah,
and she’s not afraid to shout at those who litter, crush plants,
damage trees or remove sand from the beach. Anything taken
from the land is like something stolen from Sadiya’s own body.
Though she never went to school, and cannot read or write,
Sadiya can read nature’s clues and signs.
Though the advent of tourism to the island helped Sadiya
financially, it was also the beginning of her problems. When
a group of men from the local Al Aragaba tribe learnt that
Sadiya was earning money by serving tea and simple meals to
tourists, they claimed they had rights to her land. One night,
14 years ago, nine men visited her home, cut down her trees,
attacked one of her sons with a knife and an iron club, and
threw rocks at her.
Subsequent to that attack, Sadiya managed to have her
property rights protected by a local judge. However, despite
official papers, the harassment persists. Her husband, who
stood by her at the beginning of the dispute, grew tired of
the endless battles she has had to fight to keep her land, and
divorced her. Last year, Sadiya was again attacked by the Al
Aragaba tribe. They destroyed her house and her fishing nets.
Once again, she repaired everything and kept going.
28 MARIECLAIRE.CO.ZA JAN/FEB 2018
LEFT
Sadiya plucks dates in
Qaiso, near Qalansiya.
She often feeds them to the
birds. Dates are one of
the rare types of fruit that
locals produce and gather
on the island.RIGHT
In the middle of the day,
Sadiya finally takes some
time for herself, and has
a wash in the Arabian Sea.
Fresh water is scarce
around the lagoon, so
Sadiya and her children
wash their bodies and
clothes in saltwater.BELOW
Every weekend, far from
the war and real-estate
speculation, the village
children take possession
of the wonderful natural
playground that is the
lagoon’s white sandy beach.