GUYANA | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [3014] | View Larger Image
Miner Sex:
'Bibi' (right) and her colleague 'Pakistani' are Guyanese sex workers. Plying their trade in these parts they face many of the same issues that the pork-knockers themselves face. But the added risks of STIs and violence place them in an even more vulnerable situation. The pair represent the vast majority of Guyana's ethnic mix. Indo-Guyanese, like 'Pakistani', make up 43% of the population, many of them descendent from the original indentured labourers arriving from East India between 100 and 175 years ago. While 30%, like 'Bibi', identify as descendents of black African slaves emancipated from their English masters 175 years ago. Here at Five Star backdam they're happy to swap a few stories amidst the background din of chainsaws felling towering jungle trees and diesel dredges churning alluvial slurry into sluice boxes. Their smiles reveal their golden dental work; flashy fashion statements perhaps, but moreover a tried-and-tested income security measure. It’s not uncommon to receive payments in gold from their pork-knocking clientele. And there's always a creative 'dentist' a few days away who can oblige.
[Clad Adams' Camp, Five Star backdam, The North West Districts, Guyana]
Tags: guyana
gold
mining
sex workers