Sama Dilaut Documentary Screenings: A Wake-Up Call

In August and September, I, had the opportunity to participate in two screenings of the documentary Sama Dilaut, held at Copenhagen Biocenter and Kulturföreningen Tellus in Stockholm. Alongside the film director Christine Ramos, filmmaker Rhadem Musawah, ICLC director Michael Dawila Venning, and other panelists, I joined a post-screening discussion to explore the struggles faced by the Sama Dilaut.

The film gives an emotional glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the Sama Dilaut in Tandu-Owak, a coastal village on southern Sibutu Island in the southwestern Sulu Sea. Here, the Sama Dilaut, along with the Tausug and other Sama communities, struggle to make ends meet. Seaweed farming is an important livelihood, but fluctuating prices and a significant cut taken by middlemen make it difficult to sustain. The film also includes footage of the boat-dwelling community in Lahad Datu, which was dispersed several years ago.

The Sama Dilaut have traditionally viewed the sea as an endless source of life, a place where fish are plentiful for those willing to work hard and explore. However, over the years, this belief has been shaken by the reality of declining fish stocks, driven by overfishing, climate change, and destructive fishing methods such as trawling, dynamite fishing, and cyanide fishing.

The film has been screened in several European cities during the summer and autumn of 2023. It is a powerful way to highlight the challenges of the Sama communities, illustrating how climate change is already transforming the oceans and threatening the lives of the people who depend on them.