Carmina | Dimas Simas Lopes Contemporary Art Gallery, 9th June to 18th September
In this exhibition, Luís Godinho reports the inhumane conditions in which the semi-precious stones of Garnet are mined at the Thatha Mine in the Ancuabe district of Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, in the Mahera community.
The land belongs to the government, but its exploitation is illegal and without the bare minimum working conditions, both in terms of hygiene and safety.
Men, women, teenagers and children try their luck, digging giant pits armed only with a shovel and pickaxe. They dig wildly through hundreds of kilometres of earth, to depths of more than 15 metres.
In addition to the environmental impact and personal damage caused by accidents, this situation is reflected in social terms, leading to an increase in school drop-outs, prostitution and diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS.
