Witness the lives of gold miners in shantytowns along the road network that carves up the Amazon Rainforest
Shantytowns filled with gold miners in the Amazon River basin.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Media Editor: Lee Goldstein
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about how Brazil's population became one of the most diverse in the world.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Media Editor: Lauren Sims
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Media Editor: Lauren Sims
-
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzOverview of the samba de roda, a traditional dance in Bahia state, Brazil.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Damage to the Amazon rainforest caused by burning and cutting.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Media Editor: Lauren Sims
Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: The forest that once kept the outside world from trespassing has been defeated by a network of roads, and along the roads has come a flow of people seeking new opportunities.
Some have journeyed to the Amazon Basin to mine for gold.
In the middle of nowhere, the dream of rags-to-riches has given rise to shantytowns built on mud and desperation,
desperation that has scarred the land with gaping wounds.
Only desperation could keep men waist-deep in mud day after day after day, groping for a golden future.
Living in the worst of city slums may seem easier or even safer, but here the dream of a better life could be scooped up on the next try or tomorrow or, perhaps, next week.
The quality of life weighs in the balance; but when the rewards are counted out, all the hardships in the mud seem to wash away.
[Music out]
NARRATOR: The forest that once kept the outside world from trespassing has been defeated by a network of roads, and along the roads has come a flow of people seeking new opportunities.
Some have journeyed to the Amazon Basin to mine for gold.
In the middle of nowhere, the dream of rags-to-riches has given rise to shantytowns built on mud and desperation,
desperation that has scarred the land with gaping wounds.
Only desperation could keep men waist-deep in mud day after day after day, groping for a golden future.
Living in the worst of city slums may seem easier or even safer, but here the dream of a better life could be scooped up on the next try or tomorrow or, perhaps, next week.
The quality of life weighs in the balance; but when the rewards are counted out, all the hardships in the mud seem to wash away.
[Music out]