We Might Not Be Here Much Longer

A decade after the Southeast Asian tsunami, islanders, particularly those in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, are still recovering from the damage. This natural disaster wiped out largely populated areas, destroyed coral reefs and fish populations, eroded coastal lands, and brought worldwide attention to the major environmental problems facing Southeast Asia. In the years since the tsunami, the Maldives and Sri Lanka have struggled to protect themselves against environmental catastrophe, civil war and acts of domestic terrorism, and a growing tourism industry with demands that disagree with their traditional Muslim and Buddhist beliefs. If sea levels continue to ride, the Maldives and parts of Sri Lanka may be under water in the next 30 years. This body of work attempts to capture the culture, beauty, and people of this changing Southeast Asian region before it ceases to exist.