Mining God's Way: Towards Mineral Resource Justice with Artisanal Gold Miners in East Africa

By Terence Garde

This study investigates dimensions of social, economic, and environmental justice in East Africa concerning artisanal and small‐scale mining. It focuses on how perspectives from ordinary Christian miners’ theologies, combined with biblical theologies of justice, can be applied in practice towards development of the sector. Some of the strongest bonds in typical rural communities are found in churches and faithful Christians can be engaged in overtly faith‐based initiatives towards development. The research serves as an ideal strategic approach to improving livelihoods for artisanal miners.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Regnum Books International
• Release date: Oct 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781914454066

Terence Garde

Terry Garde has more than 45 years of mining experience, gained mostly in Zimbabwe, including aspects of technical, managerial, consulting, and mining education. After retiring from the large‐scale sector, his Ph.D. researched the artisanal and small‐scale sector using a framework of practical theology. Terry sees himself as fortunate in being able to integrate his vocation in mining with his Christian beliefs. He is also blessed in still being married to his first love, Barbara, and in their ever‐extending family of adult offspring, spouses, and grandchildren.

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Introduction

This book reworks my Ph.D. thesis with the same title that was researched through the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and awarded by Middlesex University in 2020. The thesis established a theoretical model for mineral resource justice under God, a model that informs practical applications of mining God’s way as a mission.

The study arose from a lifetime as a white African Christian mining engineer, whose expertise was won in the operations and economics of the mining industry of Zimbabwe. There, I encountered independent diggers, known locally as ‘madhoba‐dhoba’ miners, who mine chrome ore from deposits or remnant dumps and sell it to ferro‐chrome smelters. Their subsistence level, and unsafe activities, disturbed me both as a Christian mining engineer and, at the time, as Managing Director of a chrome ore mining and smelting company, Maranatha Ferro‐Chrome, provoking me to propose a holistic response to this form of artisanal mining.¹ Conversations with another Christian, Brian Oldreive, who pioneered an approach to help peasant farmers in Zimbabwe, now known as ‘Foundations for Farming’, suggested this response could be labelled ‘Mining God’s Way.’ However, it never got beyond a concept, as the economic situation in Zimbabwe deteriorated, forcing the closure of Maranatha’s smelter. Nevertheless, the idea persisted and developed into a basis for research into holistic development of artisanal mining livelihoods in Africa. The project reflects on what artisanal gold mining following God’s ways could look like in practice and as a mission in redeeming the human activity of extracting minerals; in short, the book is about development work in a producing community.

Due to my history in Zimbabwe, I could not carry out this research there, so East Africa was chosen instead. Artisanal gold mining in East Africa is done in one of three ways, all of which follow the same form of processing. First, alluvial or riverbed mining where miners will scoop the sand and wash it to extract gold particles. Second, underground mining in hard rock. Third, extracting particles of gold from tailings dumps. Processing involves sluicing slurries of crushed rocks, riverbed sand, soils and tailings dumps, followed by panning and amalgaming the gold particles with mercury. According to the United Nations, in 2012 artisanal gold mining was a livelihood for 15 million miners, who made up 90% of the gold mining workforce worldwide. This included 3 million women and children spread over 70 countries producing about 400 tonnes per annum, 15% of the world’s new gold supply. In all, up to 100 million people in low‐ income countries are economically supported in some way by artisanal gold mining.

There are numerous studies, from secular perspectives within the social sciences, of the human activity of mining at any scale, including the religious beliefs and ritual practices of miners, the world over. The artisanal gold miners in East Africa are mostly Christian, which allowed my theological approach to the research. This book introduces facets of mineral resource justice and while there are many negative impacts of mining on local environs, the miners and community members do have a sense of justice that is related to their ordinary theology, ethics and practices.² Since Christianity has had a huge impact on culture across Africa, this ordinary theology³ is generally linked to Christian theology, here set within the practices, and bounds of gold mining and processing.

Second, this book is an introduction to mining, answering the questions: a) Why is artisanal mining significant? b) What is the socio‐ economic setting in which artisanal miners work? c) What are the technical bounds and implications of mining, referencing use of mercury, access to processing equipment, etc.?

Third, it is an introduction to published theologies on justice, answering the questions: a) What is the ‘Christian’ definition of justice? b) How does this definition of justice compel and shape a practical theology around broad societal/community development and creation care? c) Why should this lead us to the integration of a bottom‐up exploration of miners’ ordinary theology when embarking on development projects? The research unearthed their theology as perceiving that the gold is the Lord’s blessing to them, and to continue enjoying that blessing, they need to act always in accordance with His will and His commands.

I spent almost six months in East Africa, exploring artisanal gold mining as a livelihood, examining the miners’ daily practices (including spending time underground) and interviewing miners and community members. I chose to interview those who had the ability to be reflective of change and improvements to what traditionally has been an inherited practice of mining. The ordinary theology, ethics and practices of different Christian members of the mining communities provided insights regarding creation care (of their environment and society). Some of their concerns and suggestions were acted upon during the course of the research, such as trialling equipment, discipleship training, and offering hospitality within a mining village. These latter efforts were known as ‘Miner to Miner Ministries’ and one underground mining site, near Masara in Migori County, Kenya, was used for training and labelled the ‘Mining God’s