Minor Miners

Antoine. 14 years old and the hands of an old man.
A sister, a mother. Among the three of them, I can count more or less the same number of teeth that I have.
They all work in a granite quarry close to Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. Their job, breaking stones and making sand that will be used for concrete.
Antoine is very shy.
He spends the whole day working. He arrives at 7 a.m., takes a break at noon for a dish of corn, then he leaves at 6 p.m. He washes himself in the pond, at the bottom of the quarry, and then he starts walking towards home. 5 kilometers. His mom has a bicycle, and drives the sister, who is 6, with her.
Antoine and his family have a small hut. It costs $3 per month, and it is not located in the most fancy neighborhood of Ouagadougou. Mud walls, a metal door, no windows.
On the floor, dishes and bowls, 4 or 5 pieces of clothing. They sleep on the floor.
Antoine earns some 0.5 euros per day if he takes only the lunch break and is able to break enough stones.
A Coke costs about 1 euro, he does not drink Coke.
Outside their home, a small cooking area, merely a spot where to burn the fire. They all seat on low wooden stools while waiting for the water to boil. There is no electricity, night descends rapidly, fire illuminating their faces. The water, taken from the well.
Going to bed soon, mosquitoes don't ever give up. In the morning, the leftovers, if any, and then back to work.

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Rocco Rorandelli

Minor Miners

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