The Secret Lives of the Bedouin Nomads
She was born in the desert and wants only to be buried beneath its rocky soil. But in the meantime, she’s found a very enterprising way to make money. They have herded goats and camels amongst the shifting, rocky sands of North Africa and the Middle East since time immemorial. Their name means “desert nomad” in Arabic – they are the Bedouin. Fiercely loyal to family and tribe, they live by a strong code of honor. Red Sea developers took the Bedouin’s best land and now they struggle to maintain their traditions – and scratch a living out of the desert sands. Her name is Omm Ahmed. She has no idea how old she is. Her three sons have taken jobs at nearby Red Sea resorts – one has even earned enough to buy a truck. He sends his two sons to spend weekends with their grandmother in the hopes that she will teach them the Bedouin way of life before it is completely lost. Omm Ahmed is happy to put them both to work raising pigeons and herding goats. Though she may be more innovative than anyone gave her credit for. Recently, she cut an unusual deal to use her goats in an entirely new role – recycling garbage. HEPCA delivers trash from the tourist resorts along the Red Sea and the goats get down to business. They eat everything – from grass clippings to toilet paper. Nothing seems to phase them. Is there any corner of this world that Western garbage hasn’t reached? While the goats are making short work of anything organic, the Bedouin scoop up all the recyclable. Even though it’s over a 105 degrees. It’s a hard life. But in some ways, Ohm Ahmed is actually better off than she was before. The income from recycling allows her to buy all-important water containers for her flock. Coolers for herself, a refrigerator, and clothes. Most importantly, her grandchildren are going to school. Though in the process, she has given up the safety of her nomadic life for an uncertain future. Every time there’s unrest in far-away Cairo, Hurghada’s tourist industry comes to a crashing halt. Hotel occupancy can drop as low as three percent. Fewer tourists mean less trash and less income for the Bedouin -but also less damage to the reefs. Revolution may be bad for the economy, but it’s good for the fish. Tune in for a new video every week from the far corners of Our Human Planet! http://www.YouTube.com/OurHumanPlanet Download our complete 2-hour PBS documentary series on Egypt: http://www.japanlandonline.com/ Subscribe to OUR HUMAN PLANET: https://bit.ly/2V4LsRa #Travel #Adventure #Egypt Category: Travel
She was born in the desert and wants only to be buried beneath its rocky soil. But in the meantime, she’s found a very enterprising way to make money. They have herded goats and camels amongst the shifting, rocky sands of North Africa and the Middle East since time immemorial. Their name means “desert nomad” in Arabic – they are the Bedouin. Fiercely loyal to family and tribe, they live by a strong code of honor. Red Sea developers took the Bedouin’s best land and now they struggle to maintain their traditions – and scratch a living out of the desert sands. Her name is Omm Ahmed. She has no idea how old she is. Her three sons have taken jobs at nearby Red Sea resorts – one has even earned enough to buy a truck. He sends his two sons to spend weekends with their grandmother in the hopes that she will teach them the Bedouin way of life before it is completely lost. Omm Ahmed is happy to put them both to work raising pigeons and herding goats. Though she may be more innovative than anyone gave her credit for. Recently, she cut an unusual deal to use her goats in an entirely new role – recycling garbage. HEPCA delivers trash from the tourist resorts along the Red Sea and the goats get down to business. They eat everything – from grass clippings to toilet paper. Nothing seems to phase them. Is there any corner of this world that Western garbage hasn’t reached? While the goats are making short work of anything organic, the Bedouin scoop up all the recyclable. Even though it’s over a 105 degrees. It’s a hard life. But in some ways, Ohm Ahmed is actually better off than she was before. The income from recycling allows her to buy all-important water containers for her flock. Coolers for herself, a refrigerator, and clothes. Most importantly, her grandchildren are going to school. Though in the process, she has given up the safety of her nomadic life for an uncertain future. Every time there’s unrest in far-away Cairo, Hurghada’s tourist industry comes to a crashing halt. Hotel occupancy can drop as low as three percent. Fewer tourists mean less trash and less income for the Bedouin -but also less damage to the reefs. Revolution may be bad for the economy, but it’s good for the fish. Tune in for a new video every week from the far corners of Our Human Planet! http://www.YouTube.com/OurHumanPlanet Download our complete 2-hour PBS documentary series on Egypt: http://www.japanlandonline.com/ Subscribe to OUR HUMAN PLANET: https://bit.ly/2V4LsRa #Travel #Adventure #Egypt Category: Travel