Kawah Ijen

Having heard a great deal about Kawah Ijen and seen many documentaries about it, I wanted to see it for myself. Kawah Ijen is a sulphur mine located in East Java, Indonesia.

My guide Prij, a 46 year old mine worker and father of two, spoke of his concern for his children, they are also miners here, Prij can not afford to send them elsewhere.

With decent wages and difficult surroundings Kawah Ljen provides a short term solution, one in which the miners have little in the way of safety equipment and the noxious sulphur fumes mean a shortened life can be expected from them.

François Epinat

François is a photographer, based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Check his work here: epinat.com