Gold
PROJECT
A generation ago the artisanal gold mining in Bouré in the north of Guinea was only a seasonal supplementing to the farming during the dry season. But with the development of the gold prize as well as better access to information and new technology the informal mining for gold became the main source of income for the bigger part of the local population. There are also a lot of young people from all over the country and even from the neighbouring states witch are now digging for gold even in the rainy season when the prospect becomes much more dangerous.
Beside the artisanal gold mining where they still work mostly with rudimental tools there is the Société AngloGold Ashanti de Guinée (SAG) witch works on an industrial basic and has got several open mining pits around the city of Kintinian. The company belongs to 85% to the worldwide third biggest Goldmanufacture AngloGold and 15% to the state of Guinea.
As the SAG and the local population do have got different interests their relationship is marked with conflicts. Since end of 2015 when the SAG announced their plans about opening a new mine on the edge of the city a new conflict increases. The district named „Area One“ by the SAG includes 380 housings, a graveyard, a football pitch and an official as well as a private school. The SAG witch bought the right to exploit this area from Guinea is obliged to build new houses and to compensate for land and threes. Still the bigger part of the population doesn‘t want to move willingly and so during 2016 it came to several protest in witch children and innocent people got injured. They blame the SAG for not keeping to the „Code Minier“, and cheating on the counting of property and land, in order to build smaller houses as compensation. Beside their new homes will be way out of the city witch means longer ways to work, to school and to public places like the market.
During the process the inhabitant got informed about the relocation and their houses got marked with a withe cross. In the summer of 2016 the SAG began with the destruction of the homes while the new houses where only just in the beginning of constructions. The people of Area One had to search for a temporary solution till end of February 2017 when they where finally able to move in to theire new homes.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE PICTURE
Like often seen in the winning process of resources, in the gold mining area in Guinea you can find different interests. On one hand there is a powerful and influential company witch digs for gold for our jewelleries, computers, smartphones, and other devices, on the other hand you have got the local population witch is mostly only an annoyance for the win orientated mine company. A situation witch leads often to violent encounter.
How can you best tell this story with photos? Does a violent image only dull the observer? How can a photo reportage have a lasting effect on the viewer? Witch way is best to trigger a reflexion? Those questions are wildly discussed and still unanswered.
I decided to work with a calm and reserved style in my documentary reportage in guinea. With the intention and hope to encourage a dispute with the delicate issue of gold mining.
A generation ago the artisanal gold mining in Bouré in the north of Guinea was only a seasonal supplementing to the farming during the dry season. But with the development of the gold prize as well as better access to information and new technology the informal mining for gold became the main source of income for the bigger part of the local population. There are also a lot of young people from all over the country and even from the neighbouring states witch are now digging for gold even in the rainy season when the prospect becomes much more dangerous.
Beside the artisanal gold mining where they still work mostly with rudimental tools there is the Société AngloGold Ashanti de Guinée (SAG) witch works on an industrial basic and has got several open mining pits around the city of Kintinian. The company belongs to 85% to the worldwide third biggest Goldmanufacture AngloGold and 15% to the state of Guinea.
As the SAG and the local population do have got different interests their relationship is marked with conflicts. Since end of 2015 when the SAG announced their plans about opening a new mine on the edge of the city a new conflict increases. The district named „Area One“ by the SAG includes 380 housings, a graveyard, a football pitch and an official as well as a private school. The SAG witch bought the right to exploit this area from Guinea is obliged to build new houses and to compensate for land and threes. Still the bigger part of the population doesn‘t want to move willingly and so during 2016 it came to several protest in witch children and innocent people got injured. They blame the SAG for not keeping to the „Code Minier“, and cheating on the counting of property and land, in order to build smaller houses as compensation. Beside their new homes will be way out of the city witch means longer ways to work, to school and to public places like the market.
During the process the inhabitant got informed about the relocation and their houses got marked with a withe cross. In the summer of 2016 the SAG began with the destruction of the homes while the new houses where only just in the beginning of constructions. The people of Area One had to search for a temporary solution till end of February 2017 when they where finally able to move in to theire new homes.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE PICTURE
Like often seen in the winning process of resources, in the gold mining area in Guinea you can find different interests. On one hand there is a powerful and influential company witch digs for gold for our jewelleries, computers, smartphones, and other devices, on the other hand you have got the local population witch is mostly only an annoyance for the win orientated mine company. A situation witch leads often to violent encounter.
How can you best tell this story with photos? Does a violent image only dull the observer? How can a photo reportage have a lasting effect on the viewer? Witch way is best to trigger a reflexion? Those questions are wildly discussed and still unanswered.
I decided to work with a calm and reserved style in my documentary reportage in guinea. With the intention and hope to encourage a dispute with the delicate issue of gold mining.