The Goldmines of El Dorado


 “I rather mine gold, than be a criminal”    

Location:  smallholder camp in Brokopondo

For more pictures and info see our youtubechannel:




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I don’t want to be a gold miner, it is really hard work. I want to be an electrician. You see, I have to earn a good living to take care of my mother and sisters. People talk badly about us, but they don’t understand that we would rather be miners than criminals. "

Marcel Pansa (fictional name), 16 year old, small scale gold miner, Brokopondo
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Introduction
Gold mining is one of the important economic activities of Suriname. With skyrocketing gold prices, small and large scale mining has rapidly increased. 
Camp of small scale miners

It is estimated that at least 12.000 small scale miners are ploughing their way through the Surinamese rainforest. These garimpeirors, or porknokkers as they are often called, would represent an estimated 8 percent of the working population.  The harsh fieldwork is dominated by Brazilians, mostly illegal immigrants, and minors from local tribal communities such as Maroons and Amer-Indians. 

According to the Surinamese Central Bank official channels buy an average of  7 tons from the small scale gold miners, experts suspect that this is less than a quarter of all the output produced by this form of mining.  Any type of mining is intrusive, but particularly small scale or artisinal mining poses major challenges to the environment, mainly due to a highly inefficient production process and use of the chemical element mercury. This causes water contamination, deforestation and severe consequences for the wellbeing of the miners and surrounding communities. 

Other pressing social issues are at play, security in miner camps is a significant problem, with many severe crimes going unreported and limited grip of authorities on developments. Tensions between illegal Brazilians and locals have erupted in violent outbursts, the most recent leaving 7 dead in December 2009. The government has initiated a gold registration act to regulate and appropriate tax small-scale mining activities. Progress is slow, yet the outcome is eagerly awaited by the community.

A power shovel at a small miner camp in Brokopondo

Aware of all the controversies, we arrive in Brokopondo with probably a rather naive, but still pressing question: How do small-scale Surinamese miners feel about the impact of their activities on the environment? 

“Small scale mining is a result of high market prices, high unemployment and an abundance of low-skilled labour. Yes, it has a devastating impact on the environment, but you cannot discuss either the problem or solutions outside of its social context”. We hear this from several Surinamese experts we consult on this issue. 

Both large and small scale mining are criticized for the environmental impact of activities. Many point out that the main challenge lies within the regulatory framework of Suriname, which is still less stringent than the corporate guidelines of large multinational mining companies. Part of the environmental solution could lie in symbiotic operations between large and small scale miners. Lack of employment opportunities is a strong driver for small scale-mining, hence a preferential employment policy for youngsters from villages can have some impact. Regulating access to mining fields and technology exchange on improved mining methods is another important one.

Nothing New
Large-scale mining companies often use extraction methods resulting in a 95% efficiency rate. In comparison, small scale miners often extract only 33% of gold from the earth, often over-using heavy chemicals, such as mercury. “There are safer and more effective methods, but these take time to be accepted. There are many misunderstandings about the garimpeiros. First of all it is not as primitive and unprofessional as commonly believed, but very capital intensive, proven by the heavy machinery we see along the garimpeiro camps. Although there has been a heavy influx from illegal Brazilian miners, Surinamese from all origins are also involved along the value chain investing in equipment supply transport, purchase, distribution and processing. Furthermore, this is not Suriname’s first experience with a gold rush. Many still remember the mining peaks in the thirties and seventies. It seems however like little has been learned by policy makers and society from these era’s."
Small Scale Minor pit

Mario Pansa (not his real name) answers our questions quietly and politely. He is 16, a part-time miner, earning additional income during his school break. Like many miners he was introduced to the profession by a family member and given his lack of experience he started at the bottom of the ranks. Life in the mining camp is well organized, but lacks luxuries. The men sleep in open camps of 6-12 miners including a cook. Their hammocks and belongings are tucked into bags and hang on posts. All wake up at 5 in the morning. There is normally a lunch and a tea break and work stops at 6 in the evening. Each group works exclusively on their own pit, with specific tasks allocated. The miners practice open mining, whereby forest and vegetation is removed and heavy machinery scrapes of the earth onto conveyer belts for further processing. The miners spend hours in the burning sun, sifting through the dirt for gold. The common currency in the camps is gold, so many ounces for a beer and this amount for a meal. Mario hopes to save enough money to become an independent electrician. 

Imro explains life at the miner camp

The 21-year-old Imro Weltevreden (fictional name) is also a part-time miner, and this is his second time in the field. Imro is the “grease-man” responsible for maintenance of machinery and other equipment. He finds the work intense and extremely hard, yet would not discourage others to engage. The pay is good. The harm done to the environment does seem to bother him. “We have no choice, as we have to get to the gold, but we are trying to repair the holes as best as possible.” 

Apart from part-timers, child labour seems to be rare although the miners have reported children as young as 12 years occasionally visiting the mining camps to run errands for miners and engage in lightweight activities. “These miners are their fathers and uncles, so they see no harm in their presence. Either you go hunting with them or to the gold fields.” 

Both young men are aware of the dangers of mercury, but trust that other methods will be adapted that will improve production in the near future. They also acknowledge that the work is very hard and unpleasant, and they would appreciate other jobs. However, opportunities are slim and the responsibilities to provide for their families are more pressing. 

The economics are indeed the dealmaker. On average part-time youngsters like Mario and Imro earn SRD 3,000 a month. This equals a director’s salary in Paramaribo and is half the earnings of a member of parliament. Given their lack of experience, most of this salary would be fixed and lower compared to the other miners. Given their age they lack families of their own, yet they are slightly vague when describing their expenditures. They mention school costs, broader family responsibilities and the occasional teenage luxuries. 

“Do not misunderstand the economic impact of small scale mining on the villages in Brokopondo and backyards in Paramaribo” we are told by one expert. “These boys are supporting entire communities.” The biggest worry is for the market to collapse and for miners to return back home, empty handed to half built houses and, children that need to be clothed and cars that requiring maintenance. 

Mining is not without dangers, apart from exposure to mercury, long term exposure to natural elements – sun, insects ,- crime – most common being theft- , miners risk a range of other injuries. On the 21st of November 2010, 7 gold miners were buried alive in an incident at an illegal mine in the Merian Area. 

Another elephant in the room is the prejudice against maroon youngsters in Paramaribo. Rapid urbanization and the social-economic backlash of a civil war have ballooned crime rates amongst maroon youngsters leading to stigma and making it even harder to find low-skilled  jobs in Paramaribo's overcrowded labour market. 

In search for an environmental conscious we encountered economic and social challenges that have been haunting Suriname since colonial era’s; perpetual poverty, unemployment and lack of education. I reflect as I stare at the devastation. My business instinct tells me that regulated large-scale mining makes more economic sense, but as a Surinamese this goes beyond pure business. 
An abandoned miner's pit
What will happen when the gold runs out, or the markets crashes? What if we once and for all took education and employment of forest based communities seriously?

In the moon type landscape of mercury filled craters one symbol of culture identity remains standing, the Kankantri, the giant forest tree, sacred in local traditions. 

Optimistic thoughts run through our minds.
“As long as the Kankantri survives there is an environmental awareness amongst the miners, they do realize that nature is something precious.”
Still we cannot help but wonder, is the Kankantri unharmed out of fear or respect? Then again, maybe if you are young and unemployed, it doesn’t really matter.
The Kankantri is still standing


For more information:
On Suriname's small scale mining
(Dutch) http://suriname.wedd.de/docs/brazilie.pdf

RIS project. A promising and underresourced programme that focuses on improving the success rate of children in Brokopondo and Sipaliwine in education. (dutch) http://www.risproject.nl/

No comments:

Post a Comment