Diamond News
The rush first started in October. With nothing but muscle power, some 100 holes, 10 to 20 meters deep...
Andrei VesselovskiThe rush first started in October. With nothing but muscle power, some 100 holes, 10 to 20 meters deep, were dug in the red, dry ground. No one really knows who found the first sapphire in the locality of Ankiliabo, a bush area in southern Madagascar. But they all came running to this new El Dorado, which is accessible with a simple zebu and cart or on foot.
Among the fortune seekers is 27-year-old Jean-Louis Damlinbesoa, who traveled 15 hours in a bush taxi to come and start digging. "I need to find 30 to 50 grams of sapphire to finally be able to build a concrete house for my wife and two children," he says. "It's a hard job, but do I have a choice?"
Among the fortune seekers is 27-year-old Jean-Louis Damlinbesoa, who traveled 15 hours in a bush taxi to come and start digging. "I need to find 30 to 50 grams of sapphire to finally be able to build a concrete house for my wife and two children," he says. "It's a hard job, but do I have a choice?"
| The Exploitation Fueling Madagascar’s Sapphire Trade ILAKAKA — The rush first started in October. With nothing but muscle power, some 100 holes, 10 to 20 meters deep, were dug in the red, dry ground. No one really knows who found the first sapphire in the locality of Ankiliabo, a bush area in southern Madagascar. But they |
