Reggie heads to Ghana to live on one of the largest e-waste dumps in the world - Accra’s notorious Agbogbloshie. Working with a group of “burner boys”, grafting at the bottom of the ladder, Reggie discovers first-hand what life is like for the people who eek out a living on the site. Dumping e-waste is illegal and the chemicals in the soil in Agbogbloshie mean it has been described as “the most toxic place on earth”. But can we really be complicit in creating it?
(Subtitles available on this video)
I love that he didn't treat these men like a subject. He actually got involved, lived how they lived. Its so refreshing to see someone treat other people less fortunate than them like the human beings they are rather than having a barrier and making it clear he was there to garner information. So heartfelt and heartbreaking. Amazing people. A true testament to the human spirit, hard work, hope, friendship and sacrificing for your loved ones. I truly admire these men.
It's all scripted af reality tv and you're falling for it.
Why wouldn't he treat his brothers nicely?
I love how Reggie immersed himself in their situation without being condescending. He ate what they ate, slept where they slept and took a bath where they did.
Well, on camera at least. Remember Bear Grylls anyone? He faked the majority of his shows. One notable example was while filming in the Sierra Nevada. When the cameras stopped rolling, Grylls was holed up at the Pines Resort at Bass Lake, a luxury hotel.
@@James_Sovereign i think that's normal. the purpose of the show was to show some survival techniques not to test his survival abilities.
Condescending?! Actually he was very condescending the entire time.
especially when he called the man an idiot because he dropped his wallet. Where does he propose he holds it? At home with all the other people desperate to survive? Smh@@seanmurphy26
@@seanmurphy26buy a dictionary there, Mr. Hard R
Copper is the only valuable things they are searching for, and yet they made such a beautiful copper bracelet and gave Reggie. How generous they are...❤
A death bracelet to the planet.
Amazing young men
@@coconutBarnes Copper is from the Earth. So is oil. And rubber. Carbon dioxide feeds plants and 96.5% of it is naturally occurring. Chernobyl is an overgrown wilderness and the wolves have evolved cancer-fighting genes. God made the world a strong place capable of healing massive wounds.
That bracelet is worth it's weight in gold to them (metaphorically of course). What an incredible gesture. Those are great men.
You are not wrong. Copper is sometimes (most of the time) more valuable and expensive than gold.
Humble and gentle souls whom deserve all the best in their future.
@@4F6Dlmao. No. Gold is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 7000x as copper give or take.
Yeah I was kind of expecting him to give something back. A 100 pounds would be a fortune for them. Instead he told them to be good boys and went away lol.
@@surprisereptilian4778I know right give them all $200 pounds each
Wow they have nothing but that bracelet they gave Reggie say a lot about their humanity. Priceless
Amen
Right? made me cry like a baby
Right! I want one now
@@funkyduck4743Yeah I had to hit Pause there 😢
Amen 🙏 🙏 🙏
Thank you, Reggie, for visiting my hood. I was born in this hood, and I grew up there, too. I know all the corners of all the places that are shown in this documentary. It was a great documentary, bdw. I am in the university now, and it is a part of my dreams to make this place better for all who live there. ❤
What do you study? How do you propose to achieve that end?
I wish you well!
I would suggest that starts with them wanting something better for themselves.
What an eye opener 😮 thank you
Just stop. This is a slum.
when chief and the boys chipped in to cover the lost wallet, that really was so unexpected. it made me really emotional, the love we have for each other runs deep!
yea right. they stole that shit and then gave him half back so he would shut up
More like Chief: gimme 25% of the money, you keep 25% and share it and we'll give him 50% of it back so he'll STFU. The western film crews are here.
Definitely not poor in spirit.
i love how he doesn’t stand around and record but actually works with them you can tell hes very passionate and has a big heart❤️
Reggie is a real one
He makes money off these videos of course
@@KUSHKOURAFAS he could've done the filming and then gone back to a hotel or something similar though and he didn't
@@newhall.d1617Because then you don't get a real feel for the conditions. This is my first video with him, but Reggie seems to be a real journalist, a category that the world is severely lacking in currently.
Very positive
Amazing how this group are so friendly, good natured and hospitable. I may or may not have cried when they gave him the bracelet
you need to go live there, they will be super friendly to you
@@1999bishop ill have a big mac meal
You cried lol. It's ok. I was blown away myself. Have a good day Hun:)
i was thinking the same thing. They seem like wonderful people, i feel for them deeply.
I cried tears of joy. ❤
I've done the tweeking and scrapping for metal. so I know the lifestyle in America. I'd go full dumpster diving for aluminum cans, rats and all, in the middle of winter in the middle of the night high on meth. Wow I'm 4 years clean now, pretty good for a dumpster dog. Very good video all that pollution going into the atmosphere was stunning. Thank You. excellent work
I would like to learn more of your story
My life was a toxic waste dump.I'd scrap copper and pick up cans only to get high again and again. Thank goodness I never had children. The scrapper women I use to hang out with were the dirtyist women on the planet, With the most pure heart scrapping to put food on the table instead of hooking for cash@@VirusTree1000.
Props for you , man. ❤❤❤ addiction is a b*tch , and you beat it .💪🏻
Great job for getting clean! I have known the struggle. I hope you're living an awesome life! ☺ x
@@c4sper877 WOW! Thank You bunches! Yippers life is so much better.Have a wonderful day. The Burner Boys "Rock"
My young brother you have a big heart. This documentary brought tears to my eyes! I was born in Kenya and now reside in New York City for the last 47 years so I can relate but I thought Kibera and Makoko in Nigeria were the worst. This is an Oscar documentary! I’ll subscribe for life Ole Pertet
not really he profitted from them and Im sure they got paid to let him be part of the team
@@VinhTran-lu6gm Get lost
Thank you for showing their story and way of life. They are all so genuine and hard working . I cried when they presented you with the bracelet, you made brothers there.
I cried when that guys son is struggling
Man, Reggie is such a nice lad, always liked his humanistic interviews and docs, when he helped that guy to paint the wall that shows what hes about. Great work!
Love how much he shade he was throwing at the people thats screwing the burner boys. He fit in on day 2, hes such a personable man.
The Muslim religion needs to help their people.
Life is brutally hard there and yet these folks have hope,optimism and are hospitable and friendly. A searing and gritty look into life in a whole different part of the world.
The majority are honest, hard working people. They pooled money so they can help one of their own. They work burning this crap so they can survive, instead of being bandits. Shows pretty much what humanity is.
Its true, once you get rich, you are becoming unfriendly and ignorant
When you have nothing it is easy to give human kindness, it's all you have to give.@@PaladinHoss
When we are at the bottom, the only way to look is up 🙏🙏🙏
@@infinite3995 100 💯
When he got that burner boy bracelet...That moment bought tears to my eyes, god bless these boys, and their families. All the best for them.
The best people are dealt the worst cards, God bless these men and women.
If you truly think that the best people are from Ghana. Move there. 😂😂😂
@@georgefranko7788 good one🤡
I swear that bracelet they gave him Shows so much class WOW WOW
And I’m here not allowed to drink with plastic straws 😂
I always wondered how much world wide waste banning straws has saved.
Well hey, you gotta start somewhere…
The saying " one man's garbage is another man's treasure " really comes with a deadly price. Great documentary.
They could use a gasifier to filter the smoke, and make fuel to sell. I would make one here in Hawaii but the state is preventing me from doing this. Maybe I should move to Ghana.
They’re black they are fine perpetually in filth and you’d be robbed and your gadget scrapped
That doesn't work with all plastics.
Wow they all pitched in to replace his lost funds, what a kind gesture.
This place reshaped my life when I wrote my BECE in 2012, Alhamdulillah I’m now a graduate with a bachelor of science in Food Science & Technology. Thank you for that beautiful documentary Sir. Some of the students who are from the North are there hustling just to further their education❤️🙏
Jesus loves you.
It’s really sad and heartbreaking to see that people have to live under these poor,unhealthy and extreme conditions. I can’t imagine living a live that though 😔That bracelet as a gift at the end of the video showed how kind these people are…i am speechless. I hope that the guy can afford these medicines and will be okay and they all stay safe 🙏🏻☘️
If Mr. Beast or someone else with the money to blow, could build something like 15 simple stone fire stoves with chimneys to put the smoke above the burners, they would virtually remove the smoke inhalation problem. Just a thought.
They don't think. They're from Africa bro
@@burgerkingmanagement3608it’s the government that have no Brain inside them 🤦🏾♂️ not the common people, you can’t expect someone in poverty to build it The state controls the wealth of the Nation and knows what is right but don’t do so
Great job Reggie. You have planted the seed of self-care. Keep it up. Great journalism.
The segment where Reggie worked with Awal touched me, because I remember being young over 30 years ago back in the late 80's working from sunup till sundown, then jumping into another job to fill the time or make more money because I knew then that I didn't have much time at least health wise to carry on as such(or as we called it back then moonlighting.) Didn't matter in the long run, because the property I obtained from all that hard work was sold by my ex-wife when I was in prison, so like I said it didn't matter at all because all that work was for nothing! Great documentary though!!!
damn
I'd like to see a documentary on your life lmao
howd you get put in prison, brother?
This is such an eye opening documentary about what happens to our old and broken electronics.
You must be new to the internet?!
such hardworking people, most of us don’t realize how absolutely lucky we are 🙏❤️
ITS NOT LUCK. our ancestors built the best society on the planet, and its being destroyed by handing it over to whoever the fuck wants to come over and fuck it up.
ADOS toiled sun up to sun down for over 230 years no money, then school to prison pipeline, predatory lending, no homestead act after fighting every war, then no repair!
The poor guy running that fire probably only has a 10 yr life expectancy...I can smell that smoke here in my home and ocean away. The people whose life is made on the fringe have stolen my heart after seeing so many videos of this reclamation process/"recycling-economy". It reminds of the boys in India whose lives surround the burning of bodies, every single day. Bless these people whose lives are so difficult all day, every day. TY for this upload. TY to the men, for allowing this document to exist...
Disgusting a real respirator is 20-40 canadian $'s. could stop these people from even getting sick but that's like a months salary to these people.
In the mid-1960s I shared a house with a bunch of guys attending college. I have no idea how Kotwee Asiedu Bonsieh is actually spelled. We all just called him Kass. His father was a wealthy tribal chief, and he was from Ghana. We'd often stay up late in the evening as he taught me tribal drum calls. I hope his status buffered him from what's become of his country. As the entire planet is crashing and literally burning, we can only pity people on the bottom rungs of the ladder. They're doomed. The end is predictable and inevitable, as this production makes clear. If you're still out there Kass, best of luck. This is an excellent documentary.
Sheesh, this comment hit like a sledgehammer. It's the sad (and infuriating) truth though, and it appears as though not many people realize what's coming, let alone the full, brutal extent of it. 2023 was a profoundly mindboggling year in climatological and ecological terms. "Much sooner than expected" is going to be, by far, the most often used phrase in article headlines dealing with climate in the coming two decades. Excellent documentary indeed. My wife has Ghanaian ancestral roots, so we watched with great interest and a certain measure of sadness too. Best of luck to you, too
Like ADOS
had an advert for curry's just after the bit where he saw a curry's item. top quality journalism. really respect reggie for his work. it's like lifting the curtain on an unseen side of humanity. it's a really deep topic. so many rich countries are sending waste abroad.
Thank you for showing this part of our people, sending love from South Africa to this young brave human being ❤, the stretch they take to look after their families bring tears
Spent a bit of time in Accra and also Kokrobite…regardless of waste…epic, beautiful people ❤️
Stumbled upon this documentary and it's really an eye opener. Reggie you are amazing! Thank you for sharing your journey with the burner boys. Hope you can come back and give us an update and hope the boys will find a better alternative to earn their living..they deserve it. Much love from the Philippines 🇵🇭❤🙏
This is one of the greatest documentaries I've ever soon. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing our humanity.
They deserve so much more! I pray God will bless them and their families. It truly broke my heart. I pray for Yaro and the others 😢❤
There did not seem to be a lack of prayers
Hi Reggie you are doing nice job .I am form Mozambique a country with a lot of minerals and also we have a lot of pollutions in the provinces you should also visit my country ,it is time to start a campaign to rise funds to these vulnerable people who the government is not protecting them.
this really is one of the best documentaries, so genuniely presented with the host navigating his internal journey as we follow the journey of those he interviews
I'm just glad they aren't blasting doom and gloom music constantly, the way we present people and the area they live affects us all, it can affect funding/humanitarian aid and other policies globally.
Great job Reggie for a well presented documentary. I grew up very poor in Nigeria and I can relate to this experience. It's good to show the world that there are people out there busting their chops daily just to survive for another day. It makes me appreciate how Blessed I am even more. I love that you were willing to actually experience what these guy go thru. Pls wear a mask next time though.
Another migrant then
this documentary has everything a documentary should have. i can’t recommend anything better that i’ve seen on youtube. thank you to everyone who had a part in this exceptional piece what a beautifully put together story about E waste where it ends up and how it impacts people. and mostly thank you for showing these young men’s story it touched my heart. what beautiful people. truly thank you.
Vice: cannibal warlords of Liberia
One of the greatest, if not THE greatest, documentary films I've ever seen.
Every Doc I’ve watched that Reggie has done has been out of this world. I really wish there was more!
Wow that was so incredible and heart wrenching all in one. Thank you for sharing this story. I was deeply moved
This was fascinating, unsettling, and really well put together. Reggie has a lot of courage to immerse himself in such a toxic setting and really connect with the burner boys.
Reggie thank you for not just immersing yourself but also wanting to make people see the hardships involved
I love Reggie Yates, he’s one of those genuinely beautiful souls inside and out. This was extremely eye opening. Thank you for bringing this to attention. It deserves to be seen.
This is the most touching, humanizing and also entertaining videos I've seen in a while. Great job.
It is touching, but remember they are third world. Your beliefs may contradict
@@stravis3269 That is not exclusive to first against third world countries. Ever heard of politics ?
@@CulturexHardcore strong survive no matter what
Props on your work dude you showed me a world i had no idea existed....loved how u got along w your coworkers
Reggiee, such a beautiful documentary. Thank you man. I really wish things get better for all those people out there, and for us too.
To Reggie and crew, thank you for this video! A machine can separate the metal from the insulation. A group of the more wealthy there could buy a used machine and those guys could work as employees. That would move everyone up the ladder of prosperity. Also no more smoke. Just an idea... I hope this all changes for the better!
We could all sell our sperm too and rent out our spare bedrooms to known serial killers. Just an idea...
or an closed oven where you could cabonize anything organic in there while distilling plastic-gas, instead of half-burn molecules and smog. There are machines to strip copper from cables, but they only work for cables from certain width and they're only for cables. I've seen in this video they be burning audio cables, where the copper is minimal so those machines wouldnt work at all on those, also cables shouldnt be tangled up or the machine wouldnt work if im right. The best option is that "closed oven" where you can put ANYTHING, be it cables, coils, motors, AC units, etc turn up the heat and let the organic shit vaporize/carbonize, the plastic gas can be also used as a fuel to re-heat the same oven, idk, just ideas trying to lessen contamination whilst providing a better approach. Ofc the problem is you need the big ass metal tank with an hermetic door so oxygen cant get in and set things on fire.
@@robertovazquez9789no State Benefits?
Why no State Benefits?
Sell cut up fruit?
Wow, what a beautiful documentary! Not in terms of its content, of course, but in terms of the manner these people are presented as well as their hard, painful lifestyle. The ending made me cry.
Really good documentary. Thank you Reggie and all the crew who made this possible.
I hope reggie blessed them 💰 before he left
Unlikely
They hustling don’t need handouts
Nope... He's a miser.
He should of at least bought them gloves and masks proper joke man
Proper Ebenezer fuck sake .. but made in conjunction with bbc I think NO WONDER they inflicted Saville on everyone
Breaks my heart to see this. It needed to be reported so big thank you. I have really good friends from Ghana, fantastic people, always happy no matter what.
Shut it down, and those people will be left with no option than crime. Too many people, too few jobs.
This documentary should be mandatory viewing for teenagers in highschool.
Why
@@NeoAndersonReloadedbecause I said so
I have no words after watching this video. New subscriber. God bless and protect these men. 🙏🏻✝️❤️
I'm crying at the end😢🥹😢 great program. You are doing a great job 👍🏾💯⭐ 🇯🇲 in the 🇺🇸🇺🇲😢
Your kin, your ancestors come from this region.
Leaders are the big problem of Africa , and youths don't want learn to know more about politics
Truly compelling, I couldn't stop watching. God bless you all.
@@peterlancaster8800 I don't believe so Santa is known for bringing shiny toys.... God or higher power... Or whatever you like to call The amazing thing that gives us life consciousness hope love and happiness... Unless you have no faith which would be truly sad.
One of the best documentary i watch this year 2024❤and i Love the humanitarian.. Good blessed to us❤
My beautiful hardworking African brothers. I saw a similar situation in Mauritania with the fishing industry when I was there. Hard brutal work but rewarding❤️.
Thanks for this documentary. I had no idea what happens with our E- waste in Ghana, and how sick people get
I’m from Nigeria this video makes me believe Ghana and Nigeria are the same
Very fascinating. You did a great job with this. I think that you have a history of greatness making these stories. I would love to help you and be a part of this team.
Yes, history has a lot to answer for, for sure.
Every documentary I’ve seen where Reggie hosted has been great. Stand up guy for sure. Also I have so much respect for these guys hustling so hard to make a living, it really puts things into perspective for me. I’m a recovering addict but grew up middle class. I struggled with mental health and some trauma but watching this reminds me that I have no excuse to squander what opportunities I was given because so many in this world don’t have that same opportunity.. GREAT content
Absolutely stunning film. Thank you for that.
Tq, Reggie for visiting these poor youths. You are making a big difference.
It’s heartbreaking the camaraderie these young men have together and knowing that they will not live past their 20’s is beyond sad that we have become a world that lets this fall to this waist side whilst acknowledging less important narratives is a common recipe for disaster..
One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen
Giving these young men a hand up, not a hand out. And done with empathy. Bless you Reggie
Such an emotional piece. I admire how hard working they all are. May God bless you and hopefully rise above where you are today.
Reggie your a good man man .u have a dark side like we all do
What do you mean by your statement?
@@onelove6971 carl Jung look him up
@@onelove6971 all I see when I see us humans is we have free will to be evil and everyone has the same choices to do good as it is to do evil that's all
Why? because he's black?@@jasonblack6142
Wow this was an amazing documentary, never got bored it was just we’ll incredible. Sad nonetheless and eye opening, I’ve know about this issue but this just really showcased it in a way that was unlike any others I’ve seen.
Thank you for this incredible journalism!
This was a great documentary. Thanks for doing it so well.
What a Great Documentary ❤ Very impactful one
It's such a good thing that the religion of peace world wide with all It's wealth has come together to help Ghana. Bless Allah...
71% of people in Ghana identify as Christians ✝️
The only true religion is Jesus Christ who is the Way, Truth and Life.
@@onelove6971 I don't think you understood the sarcasm and irony of my comment. You must be an American...
@@DopeteKthe generalization you do is always hilarious😂 p.s not everyone can get sarcasm through text with no emotion smart one, I’m guessing you’re European lol
@@bigbk3278 No I'm English...
How TF does this only have 6.9k thumbs up. This video is top quality... appreciate the video m8.
Very interesting they seemed very friendly people in Ghana 🇬🇭 may god bless them. And thanks reggie ur a legend ❤❤❤🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💯❤️
This has really opened my eyes 👀 to see what these men are going through. Thank you 🙏🏻 for sharing this video
This is so sad again thank you 🙏🏻
Man the ending was so emotional. God help these guys to get a better life
It‘s always the ppl that have nearly nothing that are always willing to give and are just kindhearted. I admire their work ethic, its incredible. Definetely something i‘ll try to adapt for myself. Dont be lazy or angry going to work, be grateful and make the best of it. Great job man and great documentary.
I really enjoyed watching this video even though I was also very sad at the suffering of my beloved African brothers because that’s what we all are “ brothers and sisters “ ❤❤❤
We have a lot to learn from this situation and a lot to admire about these people.
That's a lotta bull..
Who is President?
What's there to admire exactly? Give them all the money and 50 years from now it will still be the same ..
What wonderful, kind hard-working people, I hope he goes back to show how they are going. I had tears for what they are doing for a few dollars a day to survive. Horrible. Good luck to them all.
Eye-opening. I feel so spoiled and conceited for all I have. God bless these young men working so hard to provide for their families.
Us Americans need to be thankful for what we have our country could end up like this if we don’t change
It’ll end up exactly like this very quickly if we keep allowing the third world to “immigrate” into our country.
Of course Americans will come up with the dumbest comments
Incredible documentary remember watching this when it came out and it changed my perspective on geopolitics forever.
Thank you - what a friendship you found during your time in Ghana. Me who is older, from Sweden - I am ashamed of what we are doing to our world and our fellow human beings. Instead of caring for each other - consume. Instead of taking care of our own shit - let others solve it. Damn! My dream is to travel around, photograph and film places in misery linked to the Western world. Sell photos of the beautiful places, and donate part of the amount to charity, spread awareness and make a difference to people and the world.
It’s amazing what humans go through for money
They do it to survive, sadly without money you will not get food
@@Bdestiny933 not entirely true. They can stay in rural homes farming and also opt not to have many kids. Too many have migrated searching for jobs and glamorous life in the city.
@@pietrojenkins6901not entirely true.
Yet still have children like it’s forced. I’ll never understand that, having a child in such a harsh, poor and dangerous environment. Humans do this across the entire world. You’d think that they would think it through beforehand.
@@domfazool8326 It's used as a form of insurance when you get sick or old, so that your children can take care of you when you can't anymore.
She’s 25:28 such a cutie pie. Even though the environment is hazardous the parents keep her neat and clean. Their pride and joy.🙏🏽😊
One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen 5 ⭐️’s hands down
This was such a beautiful story. Living and working in those kinds of conditions is sad. 😢 My heart goes out to all the people in Ghana
I don’t have hope for humanity. We have so much disrespect for nature its saddening.
and the ones who collect money who say they do care... Where are they? to help solve this problem? Oh that's right flying around, speaking and collecting more donations...
Reggie you are a true son of Africa, God bless you . I really enjoy your program. Keep up the good work.
He's British, nothing African about him.
@@pietrojenkins6901 all people are originally from Africa. I think, we should remember this.
I am British but my blood is AFRICAN Pietro Jenkins, something you would not understand. We will help our brothers and sisters there sooner rather than later. I'd advise you to stay quiet or stay out of our way.@@pietrojenkins6901
@@user-xf5es8of8pActually not. First people were European. Oldest people found are from areas of Greece and Bulgaria. These are the latest scientific news. We are not the same. Africans are Africans, Caucasians are Caucasians.
Fing plastic. Thank you for broadening my awareness. I've never been but Ghana holds a place in my heart. The people I've met are so kind.
Really enlightening documentary. Reggie great as always.
Did you say one of the toxic places in the world people are dying young 😮😮😢 how come ghana youtubers never showed us this at all eeh . 4:46 You are doing a marvellous job 👏❤ ❤
this is deep 😮... how you went down to the people, became like them to understand them was so on fire 🔥🔥..thank you,🥂🥂
Awal is such a caring and loving person. Can't forget that scene where he was painting for his wife and mother. A true man.