Day 22 - Outside The Mines

This moring I woke up at the crack of dawn. It was so cold that I could see my breath. I felt better then the other day knowing that I wasn’t going into the mines. I made friends with the ex-miners who give tours into El Cerro Rico. They offered to give me a ride to the exterior of the mines and introduce me to some of the workers in exchange for internet lessons. They’re really good people and working hard to grow their business. My main objective was to interview people who have some insight on the conditions and stories that come from working in these mines. I was lucky enough to speak with the 33 year old bus driver who took us up there. He too worked in the mines for a year, and like me, swore to never go back. Semar is a really smart guy with a lot of insight on what is going on socially and politically in the region. He actually reminded me of an old schoolmate of mine – John Chisolm.
Once I arrived at the mines I was presented to the President of a particular coop. As I followed the president through the exteriors of the mines I met Wilder. Wilder was a former miner and now in his 40s works in the exterior of the minds as a porter. He talk to me for about an hour and gave me insight on the tragic life of a miner. Didn’t hesitate to tell me about the thieves that come at night, break into the miner’s locker and steal their gear. It was especially heart breaking to hear about a porter friend of his who was recently got killed because he tried to stop a group of thieves stealing from the already poor miners. Pointing up towards the upper part of El Cerro he says to me “you see all those colorful cloths up there drying? That’s the former porter’s wife. She took over his job out of necessity to feed her fatherless children and is now in danger of the same thing happening to her.” The sun beamed on my back and neck burning my skin and all I could do was check my sound levels to make sure that I got a good recording. At the end of our talk Wilder emphasized the importance of people knowing these stories. The need for people to understand what these miners and their communities are going through and how they suffer just to put a roof over their families head and food on the table.
The least I could do was stay the extra twenty minutes and have him repeat this to me over and over again. Giving him the opportunity to have a voice.

Semar (Bus Driver)


Wilder (Miner’s Porter)