The vast Sahara is one of the harshest places on earth, with many key factors for a thriving life being scarce or totally lacking. Despite having traveled it extensively, I always get surprised whenever I encounter nomads in the most extreme areas of the Desert.
Mauritania is one of the least developed countries in North Africa, and as nomads still make up about 10% of the population, many people from the villages are moving to the capital, Nouakchott, in search of a better life.
Others are not interested in the city life, and they go out of their way to look for fortune in whatever way they can. In recent years, gold mining has become one of the ways, and men from all over Mauritania have left their homes to go look for the shiny mineral, hoping to find enough to at least provide for their families.
I had the opportunity to briefly photograph a typical day for these miners during my two-month trip to Mauritania, staying by their side as they went through their usual process of mining, moving rocks, and finding gold.
Their equipment is scarce, safety is nonexistent, and gold is a mirage. Despite this, as it has always been with gold throughout history, people keep hoping, working hard for their breakthrough.