El Chocó, a province in Colombia’s Pacific northwest, has bountiful rain and rich rainforests. Native indigenous and Afro-Colombian cultures have practiced traditional alluvial gold mining for centuries. But mechanized mining threatens these traditional livelihoods, as well as community cohesion, health and wellbeing. Steve Cagan has documented this for over a decade. Mary Kelsey accompanied him for several trips. https://www.elchocomining.net/
El Chocó, a province in Colombia’s Pacific northwest, has bountiful rain and rich rainforests. Native indigenous and Afro-Colombian cultures have practiced traditional alluvial gold mining for centuries. But mechanized mining threatens these traditional livelihoods, as well as community cohesion, health and wellbeing. Steve Cagan has documented this for over a decade. Mary Kelsey accompanied him for several trips.