Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Mining

I was taken to this cinamon plantation in Sri Lanka, where they also had people mining there for precious stones. When I come across this massive and deep tunnel, I saw the miner working, with no safety conditions whatsoever, just hanging by his own hands at around 10/15 meters high, where the smallest error could cost his life. One can imagine also the poverty that the worker probably lives, but the irony is that afterwards I was taken by the man presenting the area to me to the shop of this place, and it was pure luxury, with people in fancy suits, with one of the rock being sold for nothing less than 600.000 Euros... The dicotomy of it hit me hard

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2022
Date Uploaded: 09.2022
Photo Location: A mine relatively far from the closet small village between Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka
Camera: NIKON D5
Copyright: © Marcos Sobral