El Señor de las Ostras

Overview

Every day, Gregorio wakes up at 4 a.m., gets ready, and takes a bus to Playa El Yaque on Margarita Island, Venezuela. From there, he walks 30 minutes downhill to the mangroves, where he carefully removes oysters from the branches until his bucket is full. Then he walks back the same way, cleans them, and sells them on the beach. His entire family has left the country, but he decided to stay. For more than 20 years, he has made a living from this work, clinging to his land despite the difficulties.