Emerald Miners: Hindu Kush

Here's an interesting multimedia slideshow by Andy Nelson of the Christian Science Monitor. It documents the miners of emeralds in Afghanistan. High in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, far from Kabul, these miners dig for emeralds using unsophisticated methods. It's a departure from the usual fare we get out of Afghanistan; women issues, Taliban violence and poppy-field/opium cultivation.

I wasn't aware that the CS Monitor was involved in web-based multimedia journalism...and it's a welcome addition to the growing roster of national newsmedia that have the vision to do so. CS Monitor used the efficient Soundslides format for this multimedia feature. I wish CNN and the BBC -among others- did the same instead of using their lousy viewers/players.

The CS Monitor's Emerald Miners