It's a really hard job. We are the mules. It's hell. It's hell here. People work hard here. We women do really a grueling job. Today, we won €1.50. This is where I will die. It's been 20 days without fish. All I want is for my children
to have a better life. It's unbelievable, but Maréco and his brother, still find something to eat
out of the mud. At the center, the mud is still liquid
to enable thousands of catfishes, to survive. Catfishes are so many
that you can't count. We do this to make money for our kids. If you don't get in the lake,
you won't eat anything. You have to work to eat. It's a struggle between
the fishes and us. It's hard labor, that God gave us. It's exhausting. Using this spear is tiring. My shoulders hurt. And I feel really cold in the mud. At the moment, my whole body is numb. I am hungry I am thirsty. It's wearing me out. But for this cow, there is still a little bit of hope. Maréco will try to save it. He lost several of them in the mud. When we're not watching them, Our animals are leaving in every sense. What are we going to become in life? Will we have more cows? “Go Pull! Pull!” “Stop!” “She's still alive,
she will get up.” A miracle. The little hands that worked
in the plantations, toil the ground, In search of the seam that will get them out of misery. When going down, I catch the picket
and I check if it's solid, You have to make sure that they are solid. you put your leg on and go down. Fifteen meters down, the risk is there But it doesn't matter. If you should choose between
starving while growing cocoa or get rich by facing danger. The choice is quickly made for men like Romaric. That's the formwork. It can collapse at any moment and we can all die. The first step,
It's to remove all the mud. To find the rock. Gold is enclosed in these rocks. The ones that contain the most
are even more profound. Around 20 meters. Do you find a lot of gold here? Not enough! We find a few but not much. There are few, but it's still enough
to make you dream about it Romaric refuses to work all his life on the family plantation. I used to be a student. My parents couldn't afford
to pay for my studies. When I stopped studying,
there was no work. I had to come here. Ivory Coast is an emerging country,
but the youths are suffering. My dream is to find a gold mine,
earn money, and return to my village. Then to build a beautiful family,
to put my children to school, and live in the land of my ancestors. This is where I was born,
This is where I want to die. On the surface, the pebbles are ground, then sieved. I am 6 years old. I work here to pay myself
my classroom supplies. It's hell. It's hell here. We work hard... but we harvest less. It's barely enough for feeding. We, the women, really carry out a grueling job. Here, the most difficult tasks, are done by women. We walked in the mountains
for 1 hour and a half to get here. Now I am preparing my load
to return to the village. We'll need another 1 hour and a half walk. We cut grass during the summer
and the rest of the year, we come everyday to carry some. Each pack weighs between 20 and 30 kilos. If despite my age,
I keep working this hard, It's for a one reason! It's so my children can chooose
to have a better life. A ridiculous tightrope walker, whose live hangs by a thread. A strong gust of wind, and the bridge can be turned around. To avoid too many catches in the wind, out of two, men put down only one batten. Beware of the stunned. They took 5 hours, to get to the village and return. To pull up clams, I have to stay in water
for three minutes. I'm in charge of shelves then fruits and vegetables,
fish and butchery. You need to be everywhere. It's part of our job! Back pain is present! We then put the clams
on fire and boil them. It's really a crazy job, and we're still at the bottom. Look there! Look! Thousands of bats are on the arch. Bouts and Soldji do not drive them away, they are precious. It's thanks to their feces
that they earn a living. The problem is when they poop on you. It's really not very funny but we got used to it eventually. It's like a grain of sand
that falls on you. It's a bit cold and wet. Flying mammals have been defecating
in the cave for hundreds of years and their excrement is a good fertilizer. It is a good fertilizer for cabbages,
tomatoes, bell peppers. It's really good. There are no chemicals, It's natural. When he digs, Bouts is never very reassured. I am not afraid of bats. I just don't want to get bitten. It can be serious. My doctor said it can poison your body,
so to stop them from approaching you. You can get rabies you know reason why
I keep the light close, this way, the bats stay away. Deep inside the cave, we have no oxygen, we hardly breathe. Sometimes I have to stop
and go out for 30 minutes, to take a breath of fresh air. I don't want to faint in this hole! I rather fear snake attacks. Some are aggressive, vicious and they bite. I've been doing this since I was 21, I didn't start yesterday! I'm 55 today, I've been working
in this cave I don't want my children to do this job. It will be too hard for them! I say that whole heartedly. All I want is for my children
to have a better life. They sell this bag of soil for €10. That's alot of money in Jamaica,
where the average wage does not exceed €350. Abou is a victim from wreckless driving He was hit by a car in his youth. The idea of begging
was unbearable for him. So, despite his paralyzed leg, he gave himself a mission. One day, I told my brothers that, the roads in this state
give way So to remedy this, I told myself that I should try
to help our brothers. That's why I am committed to it. Tirelessly, one after the other, he covered, all the potholes. I am present every day. And there is over 70 km. thanks to those
who feel sorry for me, daily, I can earn 1500 or 2000 francs. Given my situation, I can't say that
it's not much but I have a wife and two kids. I am very tired! His courage saves lives. Thanks to him, there are no more holes. Trucks, cars and motorcycles,
stop by all day long to thank him for maintaining the road. On the road, kids try to earn some money to eat,
by fixing the broken track. Hey! Come here! It's for the three of you, okay? You are the eldest. You split it well into three!
Yourself, him and the other one too. Thank you sir. Share the money among three of you okay? They fixed the road well. They did a great job! Today, we won €1.50. I stopped school after grade 1 because my family is poor. I came here to work in the garage. I want to learn the profession. I want to know everything
and become like our boss. The garage owner employs 7 children and 3 teens, whom he pays as he sees fit. It's not easy to earn money. I earn between €8 and €20 per day. If I win much, I give them much. If I earn little, I give them little. Because I also take care of
my mother, That's how I get out the salt
from the ground. I cut pieces out of the ground. I take the plate out of the salted water. I clean it up and then I sell it to wafer cutters.. Salt workers earn €2 per day. Barely enough to survive. I am the oldest. I've been doing this for 18 years. I have 6 children to feed and for that,
I work everyday in the desert. Here, you pay for food and housing. In fact, you pay for everything
including your whole family. So I can't stop working. Some days, the temperature The only problem is that
there is no shade. It's very hot, the sun is burning us and salt hurts our eyes, our hands and feet. Everyone refreshes before starting
the 3-day return walk. With my 30 camels,
I am carrying 200 kilos of salt. I'm going to walk for 3 nights
to go and sell it in town. These tireless workers, equipped with trivial tools, are hundreds to get exhausted
on the roads for €5 per day without any protection. It's a very tiring job. I've been on construction sites
for three years.. For that, I have to get up very early. We break rocks for road maintenance. We have to buy everything, even our food. Workers return to India every six months In the meantime,
they live Look, this is where we sleep. We sleep 10 in the same room. We are 14 in total . The others are sleep next door. Life is very difficult here. The boss demands a lot of work from us. The issues is the torrential rains. There are rats everywhere and
if you want to buy meat, We have to survive every day
with potatoes and eggplants. To cope against a future disaster, The village is getting stronger by erecting dikes. Everywhere else, it's the mules
that carry the loads. But here in Limi, we're the mules. Everyone lives in the same place The young as well as old. Even the mayor gives a helping hand. He could watch us work, but it's not like that here. We are a community. Everyone is requisitioned,
because State aid is very low. We will not abandon our village. Landslides and the floods, take away our houses
and the land where we farm. We were born here. We can not go away. A lot of people ask us: Why we live in such a risky place? Why not go elsewhere? We will stay here. It is impossible for us
to leave They are the only ones accepted
by the people of the night. Hyenas. At the beginning,
when I used to see hyenas, I was scared. I would run away. The hyena is very strong! You don't stand a chance if she bites you. A single hyena
has the strength Fortunately, we can know
when they feel threatened. They send out strange screams. I feed them every night
otherwise Since the 19th century, A pact unites
the hyenas Like his father, Malougeta has been bringing them food
every night for 26 years. There is absolute trust. Take a look at this hole, there are several babies As soon as they hear noise,
they immediately go into hiding. Look! There's the mother! From time to time, Malougeta
makes some money by reselling, baby hyneas to some zoos. I will never stop feeding hyenas. I will do this job till I die. I am in charge of cow safety. If thieves come to steal them,
i'll shoot them immediately. Milk is too precious for us. We can't afford to lose a cow. How much does it cost? It can be worth between 400 and 500€. We are here to defend them
till death It's the only time I'll leave them. Among the Mundari people, the number and beauty of cattles, determines the wealth of a clan. The social status of a man, and the prestige of an entire family. Do you bath like that every morning? Yes, every day! I easily spot a cow
who is about to urinate. when it is lying down and wakes up,
it means it is about to urinate. Is it really good for you? Yes. It strengthens my hair. It also removes the dye. But urine is mainly used as an antiseptic, to disinfect the skin. You stay there, fat cow! He really looks like a cow, for real I don't always call him fêtard Just when they ask for his first name otherwise it's Titi, man, old man. Then the fat cow too, since it's big. Come on man! Antoine's dream with fêtard is to win the title of
the most Heavy bull in the world at the Agricultural show. That is the objective, beat the world record Stop growling you'll make him mad He'll get hurt. Calm down! C'mon! You're hurting yourself! That's it! But the other one is afraid! You need to untie it. He is afraid of the other guy. He wants to leave because he is afraid. I don't want him to get hurt. Come on Loulou! Come on man! Come forward again! 1950! This is great. Why? It's the heaviest in the world! It's delicate with this cart,
if it falls off I'll loose the harvest. The leaves may fall off, you have to go carefully. Indeed, the most famous cigars, are made with
five whole sheets They shouldn't be torn. The weather is bad, it's going to rain. The tobacco must be protected. If the tobacco gets wet, it's a problem.
It loses its quality. I could cover them up, but I don't have a tarp. Here is one of our pride, we're happy
to have it and our customers like it as well Then it adds folklore too. It's been two years since we took it out. We are really happy
to get it out, at last! Him as much as we do. 8:05am. We'll be open
in 25 minutes. Everyone will see it,
It's nice. It's good! If this doesn't show the Basque country, then I don't know where we are 27 dollars and 10 cents Hey, hey Chucho! I'm bringing you cheese. That's very good. Put them over here. In El Viento, Money is not within everyone's reach the few that people earn looses its value daily
because of hyperinflation. Clearly, money
s So Chucho handed over
the barter up to date. Peasants bring some cheese or coffee, and I exchange them for Groceries that's how I get paid. Money isn't known here. Our government did all wrong. The national currency
is no longer in circulation. In a week, the price of a kilo of potatoes
can be multiplied by four, maybe ten. It's been ten years now,
that we are living in crisis. It just got worse. People get used to
surviving this way but... It's still very difficult. Hello! God bless you! These are my three daughters. When Chucho goes to town
to sell his cheese, It's Lorena, the eldest,
who stands behind the cash register. Because I don't want them
to lack anything, I make sacrifices for my girls. I risk my life on the field. They mean more than anything to me. Lorena is never reassured
to see her father leave. But Chucho has no choice. In fifteen days, he has already
exchanged 700 kilos of cheese. You have to sell them
before they get bad. Goodbye, have a good trip,
I love you very much Like almost every time, The second car from the village
accompanies him. Nobody drives alone on this road. This road is very complicated to pass by It's a real mess! It looks like a trail for mules. This rock is very solid. He never let go off me. It is firmly attached to the cliff.
It's not shaking. He's as strong as a bull! Strong as an elephant! 60 meters down without any security. Or maybe there is a little warm-up. I am doing this to add
more strength in my arms. Is this rope strong enough? Yes! How old is it? It's ten years old! Listen to the sea waves. It is such a great sound Above all, It says:
“don't go away, stay.” You'll make a great catch. Chicoca is probably the only
mountaineer fisherman in the world Three people died here. They gave up, they had cramps. They didn't warm up like I did
before going down. So why does he take so much risks? Actually, this place is a natural resort. Fish is plentifull. Net fishing is prohibited. Only the line is allowed. Chicoca, therefore has no competition or almost none. Averagely. The fisherman goes back
with per day. But today... no fish is biting. Sea lions have chased away part of the fish and
the swell did the rest. The fish went offshore, the sea waves
are too strong, there is nothing to catch. At 66 years old, exercicing becomes tedious. Chicoca spends
several weeks in the desert. The man does not have
the means to waste gas, going back home every night, 35 kilometres away. I am resting against tomorrow. Tomorrow, I need to go fishing again. These are cockerel feather baits. I make them. It's been 20 days with no fish. I'm going to stay 30 more days
before returning, to be able to bring back fish
for my family. That's the life of a fisherman. That's an old combination for oil workers. It's easy to find. We exchange it for fish. It's the only thing left
of the company. It's name! I made these oars
with two paint can covers. I burst the plastic
and screwed them to the stick. Today I am not earning enough
to be able to use my engine, or to buy a better boat. José has no gas but he has ideas. It's like going centuries back. They sailed like that
In the time of the pirates. There are fewer fishes everyday. We used to be great at fishing,
but now it's over. You have to go far away and work very hard to catch a few fish. I was born and raised on this lake. My children were born here.
They're growing up here, and I'll die here Oil spills started
six or seven years ago. and the government
is doing nothing to appease it It doesn't look like
the lake of my childhood anymore. Mine was clean and free from pollution. I could never imagine that
my kids would go through this one day. Waste pickers are all over
a part of the city. Everything they've gotten
from they sell it here They bring back to life what was broken. Every piece of metal becomes
a useful object. Here, no one can afford
a steel cutting machine. Everything is handmade, with trust. Nobody has a choice. This trade helps us
to feed the entire family. We all know each other here. We are like a big family, and we all depend of these odd jobs. We pass knowledge to each other,
from generation to generation. These artists make
shovels out of recycled metal. How much does it cost to make
a barbecue with that? Give me one for 1 euro. We'll resell it for €2. We are many in this market
selling this kind of brazier but we still manage to do great deals. When I work well,
I can do fifteen a day. I work with anything made of metal, I make chimneys, exhaust pipes and gutters. It's my job, it feeds me well. In a store, this brazier
would cost a lot more. In 20 minutes,
the two computer plates, have become a mini barbecue. Are we not lucky? No noise., no honk. Nobody to annoys us! This feels like paradise. With a weather like this,
today feels like paradise.
