Transcript:

An Ancient Pathway Through the DesertCelebrating three decades of Pulse of the Planet, here's a program from our archives.When drought struck the country of Sudan, many tribes, whose wealth was in their herds of camels, had to resort to selling their livestock to survive. They brought them to market, travelling over 800 miles along an ancient trade route. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.These songs are called D'baits. They're sung by camel herders on the long trail between their home in Sudan and the markets in Egypt.Werner: The route is called the way of the forty. It's named after the number of days, and it's a very prehistoric route that was used really as the main highway into Central Africa from the Nile valley." Lou Werner is a documentary filmmaker who traveled with the camel herders of Sudan. Werner: In some ways, these camel drovers are like the cowboys of the Chisholm trail. They are moving large numbers of animals, that are very valuable, to market. These camel drovers come from one of the most remote, uninhabited parts of Africa, and they're going to Africa's largest city. They're going to the outskirts of Cairo, which has something like 15 million people.During the drought years, people adapted readily to the new opportunities that this trade offered. Camel drovers that otherwise would have been destitute were able to find work. It's a very precarious job, because it depends on the continuation of the marketing of camels, but in the meantime they're able to survive.This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast.