The Blue Devil

A water hyacinth, known as the blue devil, is rapidly growing and overtaking Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake, preventing fishing and affecting irrigation and the use of its waters. The local farmers go out twice a week to hand harvest, but it is not enough to prevent the spread of the insidious plant which is in the top 100 invasive plants on earth. The current government is now studying other ways to combat this looming environmental catastrophe which include biological use of beetles and mechanical harvesters. It’s a race against time to overcome this threat to the local people’s way of life and thus their culture and identity. (Pan African Film Festival)