3rd Place; The Sea Moves Us, the Sea Moves Fuvemeh by Antonio Pérez

Fuvemeh, Ghana, a fishing village located between the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Volta River, has disappeared. It cannot even be found on Google Maps, and now only exists in the memories of those who lived there. Coastal erosion and rising sea levels – a direct consequence of global warming – are contributing to the disappearance of coastal communities in West Africa. Fuvemeh is a clear example of this.
Over the years, the inhabitants of this village, little by little, saw their lands, their houses and their livelihoods disappear. The defences, barriers and breakwaters, built by cooperation projects, have also been swallowed up by the sea. Those inhabitants of Fuvemeh are able to have fled to other villages, other houses, other countries. Some remain only a few hundred metres from the shore, hoping the sea will not swallow their lives up again.  Sometimes, at low tide, they return to what is left of their houses: walls; windows; a doorframe. Sometimes there is nothing. It’s an empty space, which the people fill with their memories. These photographs of the people and what remains of their house are taken in those moments.