“I am rich Potosí, treasure of the world, king of all mountains and envy of kings” read the city’s coat of arms. Potosí, located at an altitude of 13,000 ft in the Bolivian Andes, was a major center for silver mining, particularly during the colonial period. The city, built around the silver-rich Cerro Rico mountain, was a key source of silver for the Spanish Empire and significantly influenced global trade. It is believed that nearly 8 million workers died as a result of intense exploitation in one of the harshest conditions related to flooding, explosions, cave outs, and respiratory diseases from inhalation of toxic chemicals.
The working conditions have not improved since for the miners. Workers as young as 14 years old spend up to 16h down in the mine, chewing coca leaves all day long to sustain long working hours. Much beliefs and superstitions have developed around mining. El Tio, an emblematic devilish figure is worshiped for protection, good fortune and fertility. Miners , organized in “cooperativas”, dig deeper shafts into the earth to extract more silver and copper at greater risks of losing their lives. Life expectancy is estimated to 40 years of age for most involved in this activity. The Cerro Rico became known as “The Mountain That Eats Men” — a name that persists among miners to this day.
“High up in the sky, you are a star
That doesn't shine
Here in the sea, you are sand
That doesn't wet
Scattered around the world
Rock and sea
Poor land filled with love
With morna and coladera
Sweet land filled with love
With batuque and funana
So much nostalgia nostalgia nostalgia…”
These are some of the nostalgic lyrics sang by the late Cesaria Evora about her homeland of Cape Verde. Like many Cape Verdeans she spend part of her life outside the island, longing for a distant homeland yet deeply ingrained in the heart.
It is estimated that nearly over a million Cape Verdean live in the US and Europe, while half a million currently residing on the small archipelago located in the Atlantic ocean west of the African continent. The history of Cape Verde is tied to Portuguese colonialism and slave trade for the Americas between the 15th-19th centuries.
