by Byambasuren Davaa
“When the last vein of gold is pulled from the earth, the world will crumble to dust.” So goes a Mongolian folk song that 11-year-old Amra is planning to perform at a talent show. He knows what he is singing about, because he lives with his family in a nomadic community in the middle of the Mongolian steppe – a community whose habitat is threatened by the greed of global mining companies digging for gold with no inhibitions when it comes to destroying nature. In the resistance against exploitation, Amra’s father represents the interests of the nomads. For the boy, the question eventually arises whether he wants to chase his own dreams or follow in his father’s footsteps.
