In the diamond fields of South Africa | DW Documentary

Adolf Goebbels
Published on Mar 17, 2023
The film portrays three men illegally searching for valuable stones in a diamond field in South Africa. A find that they fervently hope will change their lives forever.

The field of rubble where all this takes place is located on the edge of the desert, bordering the ocean. It has been torn up by the many excavators and machines that have been deployed by European companies for decades to mine here. But here, deep underground, still lie the remains of the purest diamonds in the world.
For years now, the only reminder of the glorious days of the diamond business was a fence that shakes in the wind and a warning sign: "Do not enterâ€. The area here is one of the poorest in South Africa, with the highest unemployment in the country. The first dozen people who arrived looking for diamonds quickly turned to thousands, leaving the understaffed local police unable to crack down on this desert wasteland. For almost two years now, these prospectors have dug with their bare hands day and night, in search of the tiny stones. They are part of a new diamond rush in South Africa that has spread like wildfire along the west coast.
A diamond find would help the former drug addict Vianey to a better life, he says. Homeless chef Patrick feels the same way. George was once a millionaire and now hangs out barefoot on the beach, talking about his memories of the good old days. The film not only shows the individual fates of these men on the so-called "Digging Fields": It explores the universal nature of our search for happiness.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #southafrica #diamond
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