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 Organization 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.
Foreword by Ed Kashi, a renowned photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker, and educator who has been making images and telling stories for 40 years. Introduction text by Melani Lea Mennella ESQ, Principle Investigator of Unearthing Her Crown project and Justice Tank director.
Mariusz Śmiejek is an independent documentary photographer working on long-term projects focused on overlooked people and places.
Self-published
Edition of 500
Hardcover
156 pages
210 x 300 mm
