Where bees are bringing former coal miners hope for the future but 1st the legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and how some of their descendants are returning to the continent their ancestors came from. For hundreds of years the trade in african slaves was a lucrative business the consequences for the continent were horrendous entire areas were stripped of their populations millions of africans died either when their villages were attacked or on the long journey from the interior of the continent to the coast the ones who made it were packed together like cattle and the holds of slave ships for a journey that often took many weeks most ended up in brazil the caribbean and the us from the beginning of the 16th century until the end of the 19th around 2000000 people died at sea during the crossing between 10 and. 12000000 survived the horrific voyage. After arrival abducted africans were sold on many to the owners of plantations where they were forced to work for the rest of their lives without rights and often brutally abused. In the u. S. Slavery was only abolished at the end of the American Civil War and 865. 00. The many west african slaves this is where that journey across the atlantic began on the gun in coast in elmina which means the mine it was given the name by portuguese traders because of the regions plentiful gold deposits but in fact they made their fortunes mainly with the slave trade Elmina Castle was where people were held captive before being boarded on to ships headed for america 400 years later the descendants of those slaves are returning to search for traces of their history and identity many come from the u. S. Mostly as tourists but some come to stay like a via kolya and Marcus Taylor. 600 were built the rest were for. 600 men and 400 women were confined here in cramped dungeons some would become forced laborers others would die visitors lay wreaths of remembrance here for many its a profoundly moving experience. Im a history buff. And i know my history very well but enough. About me knowing our status as a paralegal for the sisters. Started. This labor more than even sum it up for me to speak my. Mind my. My heart what i feel. Marcus is from detroit and wants to settle in ghana he and a v. M. Met here and now live together in the capital across he still waiting for his belongings to a right from the u. S. So. They have a base of furniture and photos of relatives Family History is important to both of them even when its a painful history of humiliation and violence. When i was 12 years old my family was attacked by the police of Police Officers i watch my family members every male in my family being. Everyone would be beaten my grandmother my mother would be beaten in front of me at toil and we were coming from my great grandmothers funeral. And to watch that big and in justice from a very young age i kind of felt like id never be. A via is preparing for her next client she works as a professional massage therapist mixing traditional western mass techniques with gun and spirituality she tells us that she turned towards gonna sing rejection and discrimination in america now 38 she remembers being summoned to see her employer nearly 20 years ago at 19 i got my a half moment of that i was directly told that being an african was not acceptable and the person was looking at me like you know i like you a lot you know your hair is so cute youre so cute right yeah but were going to have to take you out of your position unless you change your here because the higher ups they think youre here is a little bit too ethnic and i was like to ethnic what does that mean. But that was long ago nowadays shes focusing on the positive. I use it to give people hope i used to inspire people. Music is pretty much hill into for me is just as well as mark there in. A video once had voice to be her she started performing hip hop in los angeles and is continuing in a crowd which have gotten a marcuss support hi larry serve identity about being a woman about being black. If. She. Thinks that. Marcus had a bodybuilding career in the u. S. And canada he stopped for Health Reasons but now hes training again he wants to qualify for the miss the universe contest. They asked me which country that i wanted to represent why they wanted to represent the u. S. I wanted to represent canada or im representing god at this year and im here. You know and process of getting my citizenship so i thought that it would be great for me to represent gonna. Elmina council a place of terror for west africans returning to where the trauma of slavery began is a way of marking a new beginning for many africanamericans. Oh. Oh. Now the. Coming here helps them connect with the heritage markets cant imagine ever going back to the. Not the last challenge. Here for me i just feel it. For us we have to we have to make all change we cannot allow basically a spec somebody else to make a change when they have been the same way for years. In the french have a saying. It is just change within a state or say. So for me i can i can live. By crossing the ocean to come to africa. And Marcus Taylor im making their own change. The largest coal producing region in the u. S. Stretches from pennsylvania and the north to alabama and the solve the heyday of the Mining Industry is long past though between 20082017 around half of all coal mines in the country shut down and over a 3rd of the jobs in the industry disappeared thousands of unemployed miners have been left behind many of them with major Health Problems in West Virginia where coal was once king a busy insect is not bringing a ray of hope. For beekeepers indeed b. Is checking alvin farleys hives hes one of her proteges like many in this area father used to work as a coal miner and then he was diagnosed with black lung disease and could no longer work. For a long time beekeeping remained just a hobby its nothing like what. Im in this is i enjoy theres more than me if i owned it. More than my quart yes sometimes i work cold but were 42 inches now. And youve got to crawl around all day if you cant straighten. Up get a private place right now for. The small compensation that probably receives for his disability isnt enough to get by on seem to be works for a collective that offers beekeeping training for people like farley and then buys their honey in West Virginia where many people live below the poverty line every little bit of cash helps reduce ians so the keeping is kind of the supplemental thing that were hoping will help out increase the income of my partners. Founded in 2016 the Nonprofit Organization is situated on the site of what was once a summer camp for the children of coal miners its funded by a 1000000. 00 settlement from a lawsuit against a coal mine operator that violated environmental regulations. Tomorrow when the start master beekeeper mark lilly and his team have trained 90 partner beekeepers so far and that number is growing so they want to prove that there are alternative Business Opportunities for the former mining state for 30 years lily traveled throughout West Virginia as an appraiser for an Insurance Company then his hobby offered an opportunity for a 2nd career. I think thats probably think many of us the older we are the more we hope things to return the way it was and thats our job is to help educate that if we want to rip tract younger generations we have to give them Something Different to do and could be keeping really be a possibility absolutely and maybe its just a gateway right so it opens their mind to a new idea. Theyve created new jobs here as well robbie and james was 70 are preparing the sugar water the bees are fed to help them survive the winter. Passed my apprentice test whatever. Theres another theres a next level test you can take that is plenty learn at 1st they were scared of being stung even the former coal miner james you know maybe not used to it but you get more awareness you know its its not not as bad as we thought we were 1st starting the more you learn these yeah you need to learn. To me were learning as i learn something new were going to yard it its amazing they. Have perfectly they do what they do so this is there seem to be shows as the barrels of centrifuge honey which is being stored until spring. They want to have a good supply on hand when they start selling it as a pure natural product from the heart of the appalachian mountains. Just. To see. West virginia has one big advantage they tell us that theres still so much on touch nature here that. We dont have that agricultural problems that other states have in other words we dont have the mondo food source that bees might these might be taking advantage of they need a lot of different kinds just like human beings need a lot of different kinds of sources for their food and whispered to me provides that. The label emphasizes that the product is a collaborative effort it means to provide a ray of hope in these economically trying times. Coal continues to be mined in the region whole mountain tops are being dug up but there are hardly any jobs even so some people here still believe president Donald Trumps promise to save the coal industry. But outside with the beads no one talks politics regardless of who they voted for in the end the love of West Virginia is the most important thing. The mountains are the home ive written my whole life so for here raised here and. Cant be that. Mark clearly doesnt think this project will solve all the regions problems but he hopes it will help people here regain their selfesteem and its not just about the production of honey theyre also working on a Breeding Program trying to develop hardier bees that are better able to cope with the consequences of Climate Change the one with the green dot is the queen same prince who is humans morely. And youve got to Work Together and thats what theyre doing what theyre striving for. Today theyre checking the hives for might invest stations. The Organization Behind the beekeepers isnt just involved with the bee project its also interested in aiding reforestation of areas destroyed by mining. Keeping healthy bees is one part of the picture. I dont think that the government has the answer for anything and most people around here would agree to that so it has to be a grassroots which is what were doing as grassroots learn to help ourselves. Sustainably so that we can continue from this generation of the next generation so you dont have a big arguments we all kind of agree that West Virginia needs a lot of help and and were going to look within for help instead of looking without were rich in family and brains. The bees have given james a new perspective but a part of him is still hoping that the coal industry might recover his boss understands but far too long in West Virginia coal mining was the only way to make a decent living and views dont change overnight. But views have to change and not only in West Virginia we all have to rethink our relationship with nature according to a recent australian study numbers and around half of all insect species are falling dramatically as their health attach disappear and without sufficient pollinators entire ecosystems could collapse. They actually collect next to for that only purpose is drawn by the fragrance and color of the flowers. In the process they transfer poland from one flower to the stigma of another flower helping the pumps to reproduce. The percepts is called pollination. And those who transport the pollen pollinators. Pollination was originally carried out by the wind. But in the process of evolution insects and animals have increasingly taken over for their work is important 75 percent of crops from cocoa beans to pumpkins depend on pollinators. And if you include all flowering plants its nearly 90 percent. Bees are probably the best known pollinators and can be found all over the world. That flies also transport pollen. Has to be choose moths. And butterflies in tropical and subtropical regions but also help to pollinate along with fat so they like flowers with strong smelling slimy nectar. In madagascar the socalled travelers tree is pollinated by lemurs. But the most important pollinators for farmers worldwide are insects domestic honey bees alone can pollinate all the fruit crops. Wild pollinators are often more productive. In the case of the Apple Blossom for example a wild mason is 80 times more effective as a pollinator but its the insect diversity that best increases the yield in the case of coffee the fruit sets much better when various types of bees pollinate the flowers than when the same number of bees from only one species are involved. The problem is insect diversity is in decline some food crops like rice or wheat manage without pollinators but many nutrient rich fruits and vegetables cant do that. A lack of pollinators could lead to crop losses which could in turn in danger feet security. As land is converted into farmland many insects find that natural habitat dwindling disappearing completely conventional farming often involves huge monocultures here pollinators find only a limited choice of flowers if any a tool and i me for a limited period. Theyve also been hit by the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides so how can pollinators be protected we need to preserve the habitats of insects by planting flowers on the edges of fields for example or between the crops we need to limit the use of chemical pesticides or in some cases im completely. And we all need to understand the importance of insects they need protecting just as much as the pig impressive animals and the cute and cuddly candidates that when are hot so easily. Clean water is vital to human health but millions have no access to it this week in our global ideas series reporter thomas hasnt visited some informal settlements that are home to residents of the kenyan capital nairobi theyre taking water clean up into their own hands. Bringing the nairobi river from garbage might seem like a never ending battle in the name nairobi comes from kenyas messiah tribe and means cool and refreshing water but these days the cooler waters are littered with refuse concerned residents from the nearby slum no longer accept the environmental disaster right at their doorstep. Then you got the car when we were young the river wasnt unsteady so we decided to clean it in the past we went swimming in the river but thats not possible anymore because the Water Quality has changed we want to try to return it to the way it used to be. Lydia one boy is one of about 70 residents from the korogocho slum in eastern nairobi who works with the organization common Green Solutions they get acquainted themselves to protecting the environment one boy knows that the pollution in the river is now threatening those who live there or where water on a would be the water of the nairobi river has become dangerous which is and i knew it was about the Children Play there and because they have nowhere else to swim no matter you they also go into the water. But its full of unhealthy stuff and the children get diarrhea and skin diseases but i know and i know kenya is suffering from more frequent droughts to to Climate Change people here depend on the river for water they use it to wash their clothes and irrigate their fields the kenyan authorities have been slow to react to the pollution problem in the river the residents there feel theyve been left to deal with it on their own fredricka kinda the chairman of calm Green Solutions felt that way too he decided to take advantage of a rare visit by a government representative. Nick. Were not cleaning the river because we want recognition were doing it because we want to when the government started to recognise our work we had already started doing it you see this rubbish that weve collected here weve asked for machines to collect it but they never come so open that we wanted to raise concerns to people who go to the only man. I understand that there are challenges to get the equipment that youre asking for but as director of environment ill make an effort to get those resources we have to you. The young people. The activists are still waiting for the government to finally keep their promise. At the river the main source of the pollution is clear. In the adjoining slums theres no system in place to collect garbage we dont have any specific collection point for the good the bad news so people in say Big Community they just. Said theyre not tonight really that im not out there just dumping them into that eva and because only half of nairobi is more than 4000000 residents are connected to the sewage system waste water is pumped directly into the river untreated what it is with the beauty of the county government. I think you threw up on the ceiling and used to make sure that theyre not being directed into new would be for that you might be like it either. But the nairobi rivers life is already being compromised at its source which is located in the un dearie wetlands in the western part of the kenyan capital around 50 kilometers from the korogocho slum the wetlands are the only peat bog in the country there vital for the binding of climate damaging Carbon Dioxide but in the former Bird Sanctuary there are hardly any animals left the pollution stats right from here because it is now surrounded by greenhouses those who have down greenhouse. Know that it is chemical intensive. People use Copious Amounts of fungus aids and abets to say its in order to protect. Us. From when it breaks you can see that the water is already what you did and by the time it reaches. It is a completely toxic we have. People like nuff tali mon guy and his team are trying to see the river at the source and theyre getting a helping hand from Mother Nature herself. Along this wetland they are very good. Trees when it comes to save been in the meadows coming out of the greenhouse. Freeing the wetlands of poisons and filth is essential if they want the wildlife to return. Now the government has to keep its promises. As the government seems to be in slumberland when it comes to coming up with policies that serious about consol been made a bit over and you see how we treat our idea of us as i reflect on all who we are as a society when i look at the amazin came up all your. Friends of one did it land and when i hear about our dot com unity groups downstream i see a lot of hope. The river cleaning projects are continuing and korogocho slum kenya citizens are developing an awareness for keeping the environment clean the dander waterfalls are located a few kilometers downstream resident an environmental activist clement coach yang wants to make this part of the river picture perfect again. What they want the 40 to create that know what you need to put out why you and for this event to get that change that is needed only did that but we believe that not good there would be so many local and even internet you know to any of. The people of the nairobi river have taken on the challenge and want the river to once again be worthy of its name nairobi cool and refreshing water. Thats it for this week on global 3000 thanks for joining us and dont forget we love hearing from you got something to tell us send it to global 3000 at d w dot com or post on our Facebook Page d w women thanks for watching and bye for now. Boom. Boom boom boom boom. Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom boom boom boom. Boom. Eco india. Many people in india are going to. Be a country half the so just a few. Feet in india is taking on the challenge this Nonprofit Organization is come asking how to get and waste while rescuing food stamps the. 30 minute w. The world unto itself. With its own gravitational pull. The finest musical compositions. With some mysterious terrific. Man. Until me thats who was into them dont tell me that their skin never showed. And the joint should come up in the morning blame. Me feel the simplicity of the harness bombs and. The problems current starts oct 11th on t. W. Enough. Whats the connection between brett powell and the European Union dinos guild not a w correspondent at the baker can stretch this 2nd line with the words sex by. Teenagers. Sniffing recipes for success strategy that make a difference. Baking bread on d. W. With your family scattered across the globe. To. Return to the roots get a minimum of the bush family from somalia live around the world the money needed urgent assistance and. The family starts october any on w player. Playing. The blame. Game. This is deja vu news live from berlin china begins events to mark the 70th anniversary of the communist takeover that will celebrations be. By the on rest in hong kong. Also coming up turkey is accused of sending refugees back to syria against their will we meet a mother desperate to find her son. And austrian at a time migration conservative Sebastian Cortes looks set to return to power after his Party Wins Parliamentary Elections but its unclear who will form a government with