Cashing in on calamity

THE rescue of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped for more than 69 days inside a mine was without doubt both a technological achievement and a triumph of the human spirit.

But two weeks after their rescue, what will happen to those brave workers? And what will be the consequences for the mining company in whose shaft they got trapped?

The men were transformed from the great unwashed, the hoi polloi whom we would ordinarily not care for and give regard to, into heroes and celebrities whose relief as they emerged one-by-one out of the tunnel brought tears to many.

Thousands of Chileans at public viewing areas erupted into joy whenever the men emerged, similar to the scenes in Madrid and Barcelona when Andrés Iniesta Luján scored for Spain as they beat the Netherlands on their way to claiming the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.

The instant fame is not limited to Chile, though. We already hear about lucrative book deals for them. They will be invited by the major international news networks and talk shows to appear exclusively to share their experiences. Hollywood studios will fall over each other to sign exclusive contracts.

Don't be surprised if the next Academy Awards go to movies about the rescue. Such will be the lives of the workers in the short term. They will be in the spotlight, with fame and money not in short supply. But will it last and does the world really care?

The short answer is no! Why?

The fame the workers are currently enjoying is directly linked to their use-value for varied elite interests. They provide photo opportunities that will be published worldwide. They provided live reality TV for the international news networks. Their ordeal will sell books and movies. So, elites will cash in.

Companies that offered technological knowledge to the rescue will market themselves worldwide, referring to their contributions for the "miraculous" rescue. We already hear that Real Madrid FC and Manchester United FC have invited them.

Yes, because their guest appearance, if the claims are true and the invitations are accepted, especially to any soccer match, will directly lead to more revenue from broadcast rights as more TV channels would like to broadcast such matches. On-field advertising for such matches will skyrocket. Again, elites will cash in.

They might be hosted at various gala dinners. Etiquette coaches for such dinners will volunteer their services, as they exchange their overalls for black suits. But watch the price per table that will be charged.

Yes, all proceeds might be donated to them, but the profile of the event organisers will be raised, meaning more business in the event management industry.

All these will end. The fame will end and the money will stop flowing in once the rescue is no longer a story, as it clearly is about to fade away from memory outside Chile.

As soon as the focus of the news channels shifts to the US Congressional elections in December, next year's referendum on whether South Sudan must be separated from Sudan, the self-repositioning by Iran as a Middle East superpower, the possibility of China surpassing the US as the biggest economy in the world, the story of the miners will gradually die.

The news channels will not be there to chronicle the hardships of adjusting to normal life. No one except themselves will express any concern when some of their marriages and relationships start to fail because of the post-traumatic syndrome that they definitely will suffer from.

Anyway, as a South American country, like us in Africa, Chile does not always make headline world news, except during this period and when there is an earthquake or some form of natural or political instability.

Like the war veterans who are often left only with their decorated medals and bitter memories, we should not be surprised when, in the not too distant future, we read or watch in some obscure book or documentary, about how the world has all but forgotten about the miners.

As for the mining company responsible for all this, it is likely to get away with a slap on the wrist; a fine it will gladly pay without any major consequences to their business. Just as happens everywhere, workers are retired when they get sick and therefore their use-value fades, while the companies continue to rake in profits out of the land.

• The writer works for the City of Tshwane. He writes in his personal capacity