"Gather and Sell": Ghana's Illegal Gold Industry

Thomas Lee, re-posted from World Policy Institute

Following Triple Crisis blogger Lyuba Zarsky’s piece on mining and sustainable development, we bring you celebrated photojournalist Thomas Lee’s vivid photo essay on Ghana’s black market gold industry from the World Policy Institute. Triple Crisis is pleased to announce the World Policy Institute as a blog partner.

Deadly Gold

Dunkwa-on-offin, Ghana—An illegal gold mine collapsed in these remote jungles on June 27, 2010, after heavy rains hit central Ghana. At least 100 people were buried, but that’s just an estimate. The owner had no idea how many of his 136 hires were working at the time of his arrest, and the dozen illegal miners who survived kept their mouths shut, fearing prosecution. This is hardly a rare incident, but it provides a vivid snapshot of the deeply rooted abuses in Ghana’s ancient and ever more profitable gold complex. Theo and his team head to work as dusk begins to fall at the illegal gold mines in the bush of Kenyasi, Ghana.

View the full photo essay at World Policy Institute.

One Response to “"Gather and Sell": Ghana's Illegal Gold Industry”

  1. We also have a designated computer with access to wifi and a printer you could use.
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