Sulfur miners & instagramers
The mine of Kawah Ijen, in Indonesia, is known for its dantean working conditions and its amazing beauty.
A turquoise blue acid lake is on the border of the yellow gold mining site. The crater steep and chiselled slopes stand like fortifications around this exceptional place. Everything would be idyllic if a toxic gas were not part of the equation. Sulphur clouds in which miners work are extremely dangerous for health.
On their shoulders, they slowly walk back two wicker baskets with 80 kilos of sulphur and sell the fruit of his labour 6 cents the kilo. Once processed, sulphur is sold again to make cosmetics, matches, fertilizers, insecticides and also to refine sugar.
Despite its hostile environment, the instagram splendour of the volcano has made it a favourite of bloggers in recent years. What is better than a little selfie with a gas mask to make the buzz and get a maximum of likes? To become aware of its success, we just have to look at the numbers. In 2018, 175,000 people climbed the crater against 25,000 in 2013.
The miners having fully understood the interest of this new vein. Equipped with trolleys, which they normally use to bring sulphur, they propose to convoy lazy tourists to the summit in exchange for a nice sum. On the ridge, gas masks renters flog their crap for a few euros to unsuspecting tourists. Other miners make extra by selling souvenirs.
A turtle of a few grams will earn up to 50 000, the equivalent of 50 kilos carried to the top of the crater.
The juicy business does not stop there. Regularly assaulted by a horde of tourists with camera, miners have learned how to trade their image. They willingly accept to pose with tourists, but, they do not forget to remind them of the rule: «Photo photo. Money money.» The contrast between those sulphur miners and those Instagram and other social media addicts is striking.