The Dark Side of Colombia’s Goldrush

With sky-rocketing gold prices, gold fever has hit Colombia, a country rich in mineral deposits, and a torrent of mining companies is sweeping across the country. But many of the areas they want to mine are the same ones where traditional miners have been working for generations. In La Toma, an Afro-Colombian community in southwestern Colombia, the struggle to maintain this traditional livelihood is turning out to be a dangerous undertaking.

Women, War & Peace visited La Toma for the film The War We Are Living, which follows two extraordinary Afro-Colombian women fighting to hold onto the gold-rich land that has sustained their community for centuries. Filming ended in August 2010. Colombia-based reporter Nadja Drost returned to La Toma recently to bring you this update. Support for this report was provided by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.