Gold mining has been an important topic for several regions throughout the mobile school programme over the years. Alongside large-scale industrial mines, there is extensive small-scale and artisanal gold mining, often carried out with basic equipment and under informal working conditions. The sector is an important source of income for many people, particularly in rural areas, but it also brings social, economic, and environmental challenges.
Dredging
The Bougouni branch conducted research on this topic over an extended period. In 2023, it published an article on dragage (dredging) in the Wassoulou-Ballé region, a method of extracting gold from rivers using dredging machines. While this form of gold mining provides employment and income, particularly for young people, it also has significant negative impacts.
The research found that the use of machinery and chemicals pollutes the river water. This reduces fish stocks and increasingly threatens the livelihoods of local fishing communities. The activities also contribute to deforestation, noise pollution, and hazardous working conditions. In addition, they have social consequences, including health risks, accidents, and tensions within local communities.
While some people see dredging as an important source of income, many others are particularly concerned about the environmental damage and its impact on local communities. In Wassoulou-Ballé, the use of dredging machines has therefore been temporarily suspended, although the practice continues in other parts of the region.
Watch the report on the research into dredging below.
Read the full article on dredging on the v4tacademie.org website.
Theatre piece ‘Damanda’
In its first year, the Academy produced a theatre piece called Damanda in the Bougouni region, performed in Bambara. The play tells the story of a young student whose father forces him to leave school and work in gold mining. Blinded by greed, his father loses sight of the importance of his son’s education. He sees other young people making large sums of money from gold mining and bringing their earnings home.
Eventually, the boy gives in and embarks on this dangerous path. There, he meets a man who teaches him the rules of the trade, including the use of stimulants. Vieux gradually becomes accustomed to this lifestyle and, at a young age, even begins frequenting bars. There, he meets a sex worker, who in turn shares her own life story with him.
Vieux, once a lively and outspoken young student, eventually finds himself drawn into a world that is completely unfamiliar to him. He becomes involved in theft and ultimately loses his life when the ground collapses while he is working in the mine.
Documentary ‘De l’enseignement à l’orpaillage‘
Each branch has a reporter responsible for audiovisual production. These reporters produce films on specific topics, building on research conducted by the Academy’s researchers.
In the fourth year of the V4T Académie programme, reporter Moussa Sangaré made the documentary ‘De l’enseignement à l’orpaillage’ (From school to gold mining) about Broulaye Diallo, a resident of Yanfolila (Bougouni), who leaves school to take up traditional gold mining in the village of Rourou, 9 kilometres from Yanfolila. The film offers an insight into Broulaye Diallo’s life and the role he plays in the activities surrounding traditional gold mining.
