Afghanistan's Gem Hunters | Afghan Scene Magazine - Asia-Africa ...

sceneAfghan Scene December 2009 sceneAfghan Scene December 2009of the operational mines, four miners, lookinglike sooty moles, appeared to be enjoying thedaylight after hours of darkness. Armed onlywith a torch, I walked into their gloom. I wasforced to scramble up steep inclines. The airquality got worse and worse the further I went.It felt like walking into a smoker’s lung.After walking for a few minutes, the noiseof a drill started echoing through the rough-cuttunnel. There were two young men. They packedthe drilled hole with explosives scooped out ofa plastic bag. And then fitted it with a charge. Ididn’t fancy hanging about to see the explosiongoing off.So I made the hastiest turn of my life andhalf-stumbled down the mineshaft, trying tomind my head and trying not to drop my torch.I then shouted at Mahfouz - the BBC’s everpatientproducer - that we needed to sticktogether - it’s very dangerous! We can’t bemessing about at times like this.A few seconds later he arrived - face puffing- and calmly said: “Martin you’re going thewrong way.”When the explosions went off - I wasn’tactually out of the mine. Instead, I was at aso-called “safe” distance. I didn’t really hearvery much - it was so loud - I just felt a rushof dust passing over my face and then my earspopped.LAMP LIGHT: Gloomy conditions in a tunnel hundredsof meters long | Jason P HoweAfter the dust and my nerves started tosettle, I asked one of the miners how he feltwhen he saw an emerald. He told me that heforgot the hardship and fatigue of a year’s work.He then motioned to go back up the shaft tosee whether the explosion had hit a seam ofemeralds.But I decided not to take him up on theoffer. To be perfectly honest, I’d had enough forone day - emeralds or no emeralds. Martin Patience is the BBC reporter in Kabul and previously spent fouryears in the Middle East. He doesn’t wear jewelry.COMING UP FOR AIR: A miner leaves the tunnel after a long shift at the emerald face | Jason P Howe18Afghan Scene December 2009www.afghanscene.comwww.afghanscene.comAfghan Scene December 200919