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In Burkina Faso, men climb down narrow shafts to bring up the ore: artisanal gold mining, in dust and danger.
This photo story, made in May 2019, goes into artisanal gold mining in Burkina Faso. At the Ariogo site, near Mongomdé, men go down narrow shafts to look for gold, in dust and danger.
It is more than 40 degrees in full sun. The dull blasts of dynamite are a reminder that below, at the bottom of thousands of holes, people are looking for gold. The Ariogo site has been active for more than twenty years. According to its manager, nearly 5,000 people work there every day.
The organisation is hierarchical. At the top, the owner of the hole. In the middle, a trusted man who supervises in his absence. Up to fifteen people surround an active hole. Some go down to break the rock, others haul up buckets of ore by hand. Children prepare beans, the only meal of the day.
The stone must be broken, then ground to a fine dust, to extract the gold. The process takes nearly three months and its outcome rests almost entirely on luck. One miner sums it up: “You can dig for a year and find nothing.” Five metres away, his neighbour may become a millionaire.
Gold mining is also a family business. Cousins, brothers and children work together. Yet the hole owners dream of another future for their children, for example in the civil service. The photos show the shafts, the washing ramps, the sacks of ore and the dust that covers everything.
This story is part of Alexander Bee’s documentary photography portfolio. You can also discover Niger: women and children or Brittany: the sea and the horses. To buy a print or use a photo, contact me. To learn more: Artisanal mining on Wikipedia.
Photos © Alexander Bee – all rights reserved. Prints and licensing: contact me.
