The text is a transcript of a documentary about the sapphire rush in Ilakaka, Madagascar. A possible concise summary is:
The documentary follows the lives of different people involved in the sapphire trade in Ilakaka, a town that grew from a desert to the capital of sapphire in a year and a half. It shows the contrast between the poor prospectors who risk their lives digging for stones, the wealthy buyers who come with cash and security, and the intermediaries who make profits by selling and reselling stones. It also reveals the dangers, hopes, and dreams of those who seek their fortune in this business.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. A year and a half ago, a shepherd found a blue sapphire in Ilakaka, Madagascar, sparking the rush of the century.
2. Three hundred thousand people pile up in camps scattered over more of 800 square kilometres to dig for sapphires.
3. Werner Stalder Einstein is a Swiss buyer of gemstones who comes twice a week with a dozen armed men and 800,000 French francs in cash.
4. Ferdinand is a ten-year-old broker who buys and sells sapphires to different buyers, earning up to 250,000 Malagasy francs per stone.
5. Joseph and Gervais are father and son who came to Ilakaka hoping to find their fortune, but have been digging for three months without success.
6. Gaspard is a former student who became a billionaire by finding and selling sapphires, employing ten workers and sharing the profits with them.
7. The Thais are the most abundant and demanding buyers of sapphires, but also the most attacked by bandits.
8. Experts estimate that every month in Ilakaka, sapphires for 120 million French francs are traded, and that there is enough for 200 years of operation.
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