Where People Die But Are Not Born
GOLD RUSH! Several years ago, gold was discovered deep within the Sahara desert, in the West African nation of Niger. Thousands of people have made the long trek across vast distances of sand and stone, eager to find fortune. The miners are joined by water sellers, mechanics, merchants, and more - all exclusively men.
The name of this place is Tagharaba.
Men from all over the Sahel region are flocking to this remote collection of ever-growing encampments. Fortune has lavishly favored some, whose efforts have been rewarded with life-changing wealth; immeasurably more than they could have amassed otherwise. Most, however, have succeeded only in wresting a meagre existence from the ungenerous rock, toiling for years in the hopes of eventually hitting it rich.
Everything in Tagharaba must be transported in overland. The name itself, which in the local Tuareg dialect means "mixture of sand and rocks", belies the barren, lifeless condition of the Saharan interior. Convoys of almost comically overladen vehicles traverse enormous distances to supply the mining operations with fuel, food, water, construction materials, generators, and, most importantly, laborers. The caravans form in the hopes of finding safety in numbers- the appearance of enticing quantities of gold on these routes has not gone unnoticed by bandits, who are a constant concern.
The conditions in the mines are unmercifully demanding. Many hours each day must be spent deep underground, performing hard labor whilst inhaling choking quantities of dust and fumes. Whatever safety precautions that do exist are totally elective, and the lives and health of the laborers are always threatened by accident or illness. Living conditions are equally taxing; most laborers dwell within simple shelters of tarps and sandbags, sleeping elbow-to-elbow with several of their comrades. Saharan temperature extremes do nothing to ameliorate any discomfort. And yet, even deep within this vast, pitiless desert, the prevailing attitudes toward luck and persistence are not unlike those that permeate a casino.
The complete absence of women, as well as the dangerous nature of working in the mines, have earned Tagharaba the moniker "where people die but are not born".
