Wakashio! The hope beyond!
Channel: Rising Ocean
Date: 28/02/2023

The documentary film, Wakashio! The hope beyond was released on August 6, 2022, two years after the MV Wakashio oil spill. The film is made by early activists who mobilized on August 6, 2020 when the MV Wakashio oil began to pollute the southeastern lagoon of Mauritius.

The MV Wakashio was one of the biggest bulk carrier that belonged to Japanese company Okiyo Maritime Corp. It was operated by another Japanese company, Mitsui O.S.K Line when it ran aground on the 25th July 2020 on the coral reef of Pointe d'Esny situated at the southeastern part of Mauritius. Following 12 days of inaction by the local authority, the MV Wakashio started to leak part of the 3890 low-sulphur fuel-oil in one of the most pristine lagoon of Mauritius. This documentary film gives the floor to the numerous activists who for more than two weeks got together to craft an unprecedented ecological movement in Mauritius to mitigate the effect of the Wakashio's oil spill. 

The interviews started one day before the oil spill and were done during the period of occupation that followed the oil spill. The original version of this one hour documentary film is in Mauritian creole and is titled 'Wakashio! Lespwar odela marenwar'. 

The movie speaks about those 12 days of inaction by the government of Mauritius led by Pravind Jugnauth which ended to the worst ecological disaster in the history of post-independence Mauritius. About all that went wrong due to the failure of the State to assume is responsibility to ensure the country's sovereignty and security. However, the documentary movie focuses more on the boom confection movement, which was an idea of David Sauvage an ecological activist, that contributed in preventing most of the oil to contaminate the coastal line of Mauritius. 

The artisanal boom movement mobilised thousands of people who defied the bans of the authority and joined the most affluent ecological mobilisation that Mauritius has ever known. The movement also led to unprecedented mass demonstration and attest the power of the people in facing serious challenges when life and commons are at stake and when the authority fails in its responsibility.