Inside the smallest island on earth, half the size of a football field but holds 1,000 people

The rock outcrop on Lake Victoria, on the border of Uganda and Kenya, is home to more than 1,000 people on just 2,000 square metres of land.

Resembling a giant turtle with a shell because of its tightly packed corrugated iron roofs, Migingo is considered one of the most crowded islands in the world .

The rock island is about half the size of a football field and covers about 2,000 square meters, located in the northeast of Lake Victoria, on the border between Uganda and Kenya.

The island is covered with corrugated iron.

In an effort to find out what this crowded island was like, Dubai-based filmmaker Joe Hattab made the perilous journey there and spent the night with the locals.

To get to Migingo, Hattab had to catch a flight to Nairobi in Kenya. From there, he drove for about six hours to a small town called Kisumu, located on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Here, Hattab boarded a local motorboat to Migingo, a "stormy" trip lasting about two hours.

The island looked like a mirage as the filmmaker approached and he was unsure if the boat would hold up due to the large waves.

The island is crammed with houses, with makeshift bars and tiny bedrooms.

When he arrived on Migingo, it was already dark, so Hattab had to meet a security guard and pay the $250 entrance fee to the island. This surveillance measure was put in place to prevent robberies in the area.

After getting the necessary permission, the filmmaker ventured around the crowded island at night and he described a party atmosphere with music blaring, people playing pool and the smell of fried food wafting in the air.

While Migingo has been a source of contention between Kenya and Uganda for decades because of the surrounding waters rich in Nile perch, Hattab has seen no friction on the island as both nationalities live in harmony.

In a small grocery store that sold alcohol and soft drinks, he saw the clerk playing music and using a makeshift DJ booth.

In another scene, Hattab explains that people are cooking together outdoors on narrow streets. One woman says she is cooking fish and chips, which are a staple food in Migingo.

The "beauty" of the island from above.

Late at night, Hattab followed his guide to a fisherman's house, where he was given a bed for the night. The "house" was suspended over a rocky shore, and the sound of the water was so loud that it was extremely difficult for the visitors from far away to sleep.

In the morning, he followed the people to swim in the lake and discovered that one side of the island belonged to men and the other side belonged to women.

After bathing, Hattab had to go to the local police station and file a report because their boat was stolen last night.

The filmmaker’s final destination on Migingo is the fishing port. Many traders come to the island to source the specialty Nile perch, which is exported at a very high price.

The island's fishing port.

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa, and the loss of its once-abundant fish stocks has hit hard the millions of people living along its shores in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. According to data, up to 80% of native fish species have disappeared in the past four decades.

Because of this, Migingo has become an increasingly popular fishing destination due to its remoteness and abundant fish stocks, and the population has grown from around 130 residents in 2009 to over 1,000 today.

Hattab noted that the price of Nile perch has also increased by 50% in recent years and is estimated at $300/kg in the international market.

Pham Kieu (According to Thanh Nien)

Source