Explore the hidden complexities of artisanal mining as it evolves beyond traditional practices, embracing modern technology, informal knowledge transfer, and intricate community dynamics.
Video transcription
From Handheld Tools to Mechanized Operations
The story of artisanal mining is a very complex, wicked problem, and the conversation on that takes time. But I will try to narrow it down.
Usually, when we say artisanal, in the past they used to use handheld tools to just grab some of these minerals from the ground. When we were young, when it rained, we could see gold spots here and there, shining. Our fathers and grandfathers would tell us that those are gold, and we would grab them. So anytime it rained, we would go in there to collect them. Those were artisanal miners.
How Miners Learned to Read the Land
Now, when they realized that every day they were grabbing from a particular spot, the miners and community members were able to detect that certain trees grow in those particular areas. These are all mineral pathfinders leading to the raw minerals. So they began to understand that when they see these kinds of trees blossoming in an area, it means a particular mineral deposit is there.
They also got to know that deposits were always moving in the northeast direction. So it means that the mineral is trending northeast - if deposits appear here, they will also appear on the same line. And they would follow that direction to find the mineral of interest, the gold.
The Shift to Mechanized Mining
Now, with the development of technology, they realized they were using too much energy. Why should they use handheld shovels when they can use front-end or backend excavators? So instead of processing ore on sluice boxes, they started using a trommel - a very big one - and feeding it with large quantities of ore.
After mining all the alluvial material, they realized: why can't we crush the hard rock? That means they have to blast. So where can they get explosives? "I know someone who can sell me explosives" - they buy it, and that begins a whole new level of mining.
You see, they have moved from artisanal mining to a different form that we don't even have a name for. And it is illegal because they have not gone through the proper regulation. Some even go for the regulation but won't renew it. Some go for the regulation in an almost self-taught way.
The Knowledge Transfer System
Yes, many engineers that didn't even get formal education know exactly what to do. Because of the observations that their parents had, they use those connections to do the mining. Most of them are smart, they can read the geology. Some are old miners that have retired from the mines at 60 or 65 years old, and they've trained those who have never sat in a classroom.
There has been that transfer of knowledge. In Africa, that has been our history - we won't write our knowledge in books, but we will transfer it through songs, stories. We are masters of that. You can't take it away from the African.
Beyond Artisanal: A New Category of Mining
So now they begin to transform the business into a different form that has no name in the books. We classify all of them as artisanal, but they've advanced beyond artisanal and are even closer to large-scale mining. They have their trucks - 40-ton trucks, 20-ton trucks - and they are using them.
Some might have registered. The regulators know about them but won't come around. Even if they go to the mine, the operators and their security are strong, they may be chaotic. The regulators' representatives would rather be safe and retire back. If you go with the military or the police, you are wasting the effort because they believe these miners are their own brothers - they knew them before they went to the force. So when they apply pressure, they also get something in return. It's basically a handshake agreement.
The Investor Behind the Miner
Some of these people have got their investors - some locally based, some foreign. You may think they don't have money to pump water from the pit, but somebody is funding them. When they get gold, that person is the first buyer - he has the buying rights. He has agreed with them how much he's going to buy it for.
So if the market price is $2,600, the investor has agreed to buy it at $2,500 because he funded the capital and the operation. The worker receives very little, but it keeps them going. It's better than staying at home - that's what they say, and I agree with them.
Why Miners Resist Professional Help
They still have that artisanal mindset: "This is how we do it, this is how we've been doing it." Even if it's an underground mine, they want to squeeze through. You could increase the drive dimensions and comfortably walk, but that's capital intensive. They have not engaged mining professionals to tell them that the direction they're going is not the best - "Why don't you move to the left instead of moving right?" - to make sure the borders are stable.
They don't know the joint orientations. They only know that "yes, there is a crack here which will appear on the other end, and therefore we are supposed to make our drive in this direction." But the technology that mining professionals have at their disposal to support decision-making - they don't have it. So they make decisions based on their experience and from their own perspective.
The Perception Gap
They don't get much value and they spend too much energy and money for small returns. Are they ready to change that? No, because they believe that mining professionals are very expensive and they can't pay them.
If I'm engaged with a large-scale mining company, a famous one, I may be paid very high. If I'm a contractor for a smaller mining company, my pay is very low. So there's a gap in perception.
They also believe that mining professionals don't know their work. Why? Because they've been doing artisanal mining for 10 or 15 years. The mining professional just finished school and has worked for two or four years - so what does he know? They think: "We have been practicing and they just offer theoretical knowledge. We don't need that."
A 4,000-Year-Old Pattern
In my adventure in Wales, I got to know one of the mines there - the Great Orme copper mine. It was mined over 4,000 years ago. During some developments in the Bangor area, while digging foundations, they discovered excavations underground. Archaeologists came by to dig through the debris, and they discovered tools. They carbon-dated some of them and realized they were about 4,000 years old.
When you look at those diagrams, you see that it is similar to the underground mining style that our artisanal miners use today - even those who register themselves as small-scale miners. It's the same old practice that didn't improve the system. That's what the miners are still using.
So if a miner does not go to work today, tomorrow he won't get money. They go from hand to mouth. They work, whatever they get, they spend everything - because they know that tomorrow they can still go back. They need to feed the family now, and they just think about that.