Living Without Land, Resisting in Water: A Bajau Laut Chronicle / Vivir sin tierra, resistir en el agua: una crónica Bajau Laut.

AsiaDocumentary ChroniclesCommunities & Migration
Written By JOHN CUESTA

A Bajau Laut Chronicle” — a visual journey through the floating villages of Semporna, where life drifts between land and water.

Between sea and sky, the Bajau Laut live a life anchored in water. Known as the “sea nomads” of Southeast Asia, they have endured centuries of migration, adapting their homes and culture to tides and storms. Today, their communities navigate the fragile balance between displacement, survival, and the defense of ancestral memory.

Through words and images, this chronicle reflects on resilience and the politics of belonging in maritime worlds. Originally published in IMA Comunicaciones (Ibagué, Colombia), it forms part of the series Chronicles from Two Shores, linking South America and Asia through photography and narrative.

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Entre el mar y el cielo, los Bajau Laut viven una vida anclada al agua. Conocidos como los “nómadas del mar” del Sudeste Asiático, han resistido siglos de migración, adaptando sus hogares y su cultura a las mareas y a las tormentas. Hoy, sus comunidades navegan el frágil equilibrio entre el desplazamiento, la supervivencia y la defensa de la memoria ancestral.

A través de palabras e imágenes, esta crónica reflexiona sobre la resiliencia y las políticas del arraigo en los mundos marítimos. Publicada originalmente en IMA Comunicaciones (Ibagué, Colombia), forma parte de la serie Crónicas desde las dos orillas, que enlaza Sudamérica y Asia mediante la fotografía y la narrativa.

Read the full chronicle on IMA Comunicaciones → Click here
VOLVER A - C R Ó N I C A S - / BACK TO - C H R O N I C L E S - / → CLICK HERE
JOHN CUESTA

John Cuesta is a passionate photographer who emerged from the vibrant streets of Bogotá, Colombia and has spent over a decade honing his craft. He enriched his journey with master's studies in artistic photography and digital post-production in Spain and is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he builds his documentary and artistic path through diverse portraiture.

His unique background as an architect and urban designer shapes his visual storytelling, weaving narratives with social and artistic depth. His travels across continents have given him a deeper understanding of human culture and a nuanced anthropological perspective.

With more than a decade of experience in corporate, conceptual, art portraiture, street photography, and photo documentaries, he is an accomplished photographer and educator. His award-winning work has been published in photobooks and shown in exhibitions such as "Asia: The Way Back Home", images showcasing the connection between aesthetics and human experience.

He won first place in the categories “Beauty of Victoria,” “Beauty of Melbourne,” and “Culture of Victoria” in the “How Far We Have Come” (2015) competition, organized by the Government of Victoria as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale in Australia. His work invites viewers on a journey of self-discovery.

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Magdalena to Mekong: Documentary Stories of Rivers and Memory / Del Magdalena al Mekong: Historias documentales de ríos y memoria.