Alloya The Caveman
SOCOTRA NOVEMBER 2022
“Socotra is one of those amazing places on earth you can hardly believe exists. My aim as a photographer is to visit these hard-to-reach areas and bring back interesting visual content from the last remaining unspoilt locations around the world. Socotra is an island in the Indian Ocean, southeast of Yemen to which it belongs.
With the on-going conflict in Yemen itself, it is difficult for tourists to reach. With only one commercial flight a week and a cap on tourists allowed onto the island, Socotra, at the moment, has been saved from the negative impact of mass tourism.
This island fascinates me. It is most famous for its unusual and distinctive flora and fauna. A third of Socotra’s plants species are endemic and can’t be found anywhere else in the world. The landscape is unworldly. But what I most enjoyed about Socotra was the warmth and humanity of people that live there, so far away from modern influences. I met a man named Alloya, affectionately known locally as “The Caveman”.
He spends his days in a cave in Detwah lagoon, where he sustains himself and his family from the jewels of the sea and he is completely reliant on what the ocean has to offer him.
Alloya’s cave has a wide opening which looks out towards the turquoise sea. The entrance is guarded by two huge whale ribs and mandibles, creating an “official’ doorway into his home.”
— Katya Asquith