Story

Gold Rush

A woman in La Toma, Colombia, pans for gold. Image by Nadja Drost, Colombia, 2011.

As the global economy sags, demand for gold futures has surged to record levels. Growing demand has increased the value of Colombia’s gold deposits—but this has increased pressure on indigenous mining communities to maintain ownership of their land. Reporter Nadja Drost visits the Afro-Colombian community of La Toma, where small-scale traditional miners have operated for generations.

Listen to Nadja's story on WAMU's Latitudes.