| The Diamond Fields Kono, Sierra Leone, 2003 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| As you can imagine, access to mining is very political in Kono. Chiefs own the land and the Government divvies out permits. Obviously, this all costs money -- A lot of money that doesn't go back into public projects but into individual pockets. However, the Chiefs and local authorities also tend to be somewhat tolerant of illegal freelance mining. In essence, they have to be. Kono is a tenderbox. People understand that their is a lot of money to be made and that this money doesn't seem to trickle down (as a "wise?" president once thought.) When a company, like the South African Branch Energy demand that people stop mining on their permits, the authorities are forced to step in. This tends to lead to public demonstrations that can get a little rowdy. The exception was when the authorities were going to close down the mining fields in the middle of Koidu town (where I took these pictures). We thought that the place was going to explode. Luckily nothing happened. ------------ Last Christmas I treated myself to a bicycle so that I could jot around and get some exercise at site. It was one of the best things I did. Not only did it allow me to unload a little of my excess stress, but I was also able to weave in and out of the diamond fields. (Besides the rides were a blast. Most of the miners thought I was nuts as dashed by with mud splattered over my face, crossing chest high rivers with my bike slung over my shoulder......Not that the miners don't ford rivers carrying 100 lbs pumps on their head, but as the "Pumoi" they are surprised that I would get dirty. |
| Sorting the stones |
| Sifting in the muddy waters |
| Mining in Downtown Koidu |
| A miner's bungalow |
| Biking along the trails I passed by large digging machines and dump trucks scattered though out the weeds. All the machines were looted during the war giving an effect that I entered an elephant graveyard. As you would expect a miner's life is not luxurious. Its the dream that keeps people digging in the hot sun day after day after day. However, miners do what they can to keep comfortable. My favorite was the Dump Truck bungalow. Someone converted the bed of a truck into a one room apartment. Kept him dry. One of the paths would pass by an abandoned mechanized processing plant that was looted during the war. It was a 3 story skeleton of steal jetting in the air. Climbing around the rusting beams and ancient machines was fun but I had no clue how they functioned. By the end of my contract, though, the South African mining company (a subsidiary to mercenaries who were given permits to mine the Kimberlite tubes as payment for recapturing Kono in the middle of the war) started to build a new processing plant. I was able to see the in and outs of mechanized mining and all of a sudden the tangled structure of steel, pipes, neglected machinery and broken glass made a little more sense. Although, I can still honestly say that I am still pretty clueless to the whole diamond thing. |
| Part of the old processing plant |
| Diamond sorting room in the old plant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |