New Eastern Europe - November-December 2017

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throughout this mine, which is located in the Osh oblast. The shallower corridors

are located 15 metres down, and the deeper ones are as deep as 60 metres. The

miners use unsophisticated and medieval tools: pickaxes, crowbars and spades.

The mines are made up of substandard structures with low ceilings and a lack of

proper ventilation. The miners can make three US dollars for every 70-kilogramme

sack of coal, which is usually about ten dollars a day. The labyrinth of corridors can

hold between three to five miners. The miners work underground for ten hours

per day without a break. A foil pipe or a revamped old hoover pipe is the only

source of fresh air.

The lack of ventilation is one of the most common reasons for contamination

and carbon monoxide poisoning. In the case of a methane explosion or the collapse

of a poorly supported ceiling, the chances of survival are infinitesimal. Death as a

result of electrocution also happens occasionally. Extraction of the coal is possible

thanks to the light coming from Chinese headlamps. The locals call the self-made

miners “Apaches”, as their faces are constantly covered in black dust. The camp-

sites, surrounded by the apocalyptic landscape of the austere mountains, crevices,

caravans and yurts, have become a provisional home for hundreds of men and

women who moved to the south of the country in search of work and a better life.

Kyrgyzstan, a country that has been immersed in political chaos for the past

years, is one of the poorest places in the world. It offers few opportunities to its

inhabitants. For many in the region, coal is the only hope for survival. But new in-

vestments are needed in order to improve the quality of work and life. The Kyr-

gyzstani government, however, does very little to address these problems.

Translated by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska

Magdalena Borowiec is a Polish sociologist and photographer. Her works

appeared in a number of international publications, including Calvert Journal,

DOC! Photo magazine, Dodho and foto8.com and others.

Opinion & Analysis The self-made Apaches of Kyrgyzstan, Magdalena Borowiec