Being originally from Guinea I decided to do a project through which I would connect with my origins and shed shed light on a history of Guinea that you don’t hear as much about: artisanal gold mining.
The mine of Djikoudoumba is one of the biggest artisanal mines of the region with approximately 2000 people working there and attracts people from many surrounding villages such as Balan, Dalalingbe, and Wassaya.
Gold is among the most exported commodities of Guinea exporting in majority to the United Arab Emirates. Switzerland is a major actor of Gold trading and is also at the heart of a debate concerning the origin of its imported gold.
The topic of Gold is vast with many layers embodied and perspectives that are intertwined. My findings in this research led me to grasp realities of how gold is part of processes that are both on human and global scale.