Child of the Water is a personal project rooted in my understanding that I, too, am a child of the river. My grandfather fled French colonizers who were conscripting young boys to build what became known as the “railroad of blood,” escaping by water—a decision that forever altered his life and our family’s story. Bounda, the village he left behind and to which I have now returned, lives entirely in relation to the river: it shapes daily life, sustains traditions, and carries memory. In this way, the river is not only a witness to history but also the source of identity, making Bounda itself a child of the water.