Galamsey Mariusz Šmiejek

Gold is breaking historic price records on global markets, yet in Ghana—the largest gold producer in Africa—those who extract it often earn only cents. This contradiction lies at the heart of a system shaped by capitalist neocolonialism, where vast natural wealth benefits foreign corporations while devastating local communities. In 2021, international mining companies exporting Ghanaian gold made $5.1 billion in profits, investing just over 0.5% back into the local economy. By 2024, Ghana’s gold exports reached $11.64 billion, nearly $5 billion of it from illegal small-scale mining known as galamsey. Almost one-third of the country’s gold is mined illegally, sustaining over 3 million people—around 9% of the population—while paying workers as little as $3–5 per week. With few alternatives, widespread unemployment, and a high rate of poverty, people are forced into mining simply to feed their families. In response, the state increasingly relies on violence: government security forces conduct raids on illegal mines and have repeatedly used live ammunition, shooting to kill. Gold from Ghana flows to China, India, Europe, the U.S., and the UAE, yet corruption makes its origins nearly impossible to trace. As global demand surged and gold hit a record $140,000 per kilogram in late 2025, the gap between global wealth and local exploitation only widened. The human cost is severe. Children work alongside women in toxic conditions, handling mercury in processes the International Labour Organisation deems “exceptionally dangerous.” Miners also face brutal attacks from armed guards protecting corporate concessions. The land pays a price too: forests erased, rivers poisoned, and over 60% of water bodies contaminated. This visual story reveals the hidden human cost behind global gold — and the lives affected by it.
(Source: https://mariuszsmiejek.com/galamsey)
 
About the Artist
An independent documentary photographer, visual storyteller, and educator with over 20 years of experience specialising in capturing the raw narratives of human and social conditions. Renowned for documenting a wide range of subjects, including post-conflict communities, refugee crises, child slavery, human trafficking, systemic abuse, environmental degradation, and the human impact of resource extraction. His long-term work explores the causes and consequences of migration from West Africa to Europe, the social and environmental costs of extractive industries, and the lasting influence of post-colonial economic structures on local communities. Through his photography, he examines the intersections of human rights, inequality, environmental change, and global systems of power and wealth.
https://mariuszsmiejek.com
(Source: https://mariuszsmiejek.com/bio)