POOR PRECIOUS STONES - Madagascar
They dig deep and narrow holes in the middle of the forest, and go into them at the only light of one candle, without ropes or ladders. The sapphire seekers of Ankarana, north of Madagascar, spoiled by brokers and merchants of precious stones, paced by the police, risk their life everyday, often for the equivalent of a couple of dollars. There are no authorisations and the thousands of them work completely illegally. The mines of sapphires have been found inside the Ankarana National park, in which, theoretically, any activity of that kind is strictly forbidden.
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STORY DATA
Where: Ankarana National Park (Madagascar)
When: june 2000
Images : B&W prints, HR and LR scans available
Text: English, French and Italian versions available on demand
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