KINSHASA - Who are the Congolese mineral divers in the midst of the green transition? They call themselves kazabuleurs. In the late 1980s, Zairean fishermen dived for diamonds, first near Tshikapa and then on the Angolan border during the civil war.
Three decades later, we meet these divers, no longer looking for diamonds, but for gold and 3Ts (tin, tantalum, tungsten) in the Kivu region. No longer free-diving, they use a handmade raft on which Chinese engines, air compressors and locally made pumps balance. Amid rebels and ousted Chinese mining companies, these divers are holding out. Not obvious, as paved roads are lacking. However, with all their might they move their Congolese machines on turbulent waterways. This project brings their unlikely portrait.
