Frankincense and myrrh, valuable tree resins from East Africa, have been prized for thousands of years. Dating back to the time of the Pharoahs, civilization has coveted these aromatic resins and placed extremely high value on them.

The Somali people have harvested these trees since the Egyptians came to their coast and before. Somalis are the major owners of the majority of the world's best quality frankincense & myrrh, but until this day, they receive the least benefit from this important resin, which is so highly priced in the "Western world."

A Somali harvester might receive $2 for a quantity that would sell for about $60 just two transactions later. Imagine how much the mark-up increases after the several transactions it takes to get all the way to the retail market.

We should ask ourselves, "Why at the price we pay for our frankincense & myrrh are the Somali people still suffering?"

The video you are about to see was filmed in the Erigavo region of Somaliland in April of 2006. It is a small window into a day in the life of a frankincense harvester.