When financial markets went into free fall in 2008, the price of gold began a four year meteoric rise to record highs as investors flowed out of riskier assets and poured into the ‘safe haven’ of gold, a phenomenon known as ‘flight to quality’. This virtual gold rush was mirrored on the ground in Ghana as tens of thousands of Ghanaians, spurred by the lure of quick riches turned to illegal, unlicensed small scale mining known locally as galamsey, literally meaning ‘gather them and sell’.
On the outskirts of Kyebi dubbed ‘the headquarters of galamsey’, every direction you turn one can see another galamsey operation or evidence of it. Swarms of workers toil away under the oppressive heat and dangerous conditions. One swings his pick axe into the walls of the pit to loosen the rock and clay whilst another drives his shovel into the debris and swiftly throws it over his shoulder.
The Ashantis of the Akan people of Ghana and their culture are synonymous with gold in Ghana. Before contact with Europeans they operated an advanced economy based principally on gold, which they traded with neighbouring African countries. The most striking symbol of the Ashantis spiritual connection with gold is the Golden Stool (Sika ‘dwa Kofi). It is believed to embody the spirit of all the Ashanti people, living, dead and yet to be born.
Presiding member (chairman) of the Municipal Assembly (MA) of Tarkwa-Nsuaem. One of the duties of the MA is as a liaison between large-scale mining companies and the community. ‘In my opinion it is now the galamsey that cause most destruction because they are so hard to control. The big companies must follow strict laws and these days they are enforced'.
Most galamsey workers are from very poor backgrounds and have had little access to education. Although the money they receive is minimal, it is better than the average income and so a choice is made to engage in such work at the risk of their own health, the environment and thus the future of the community.