To inspire fellow artists, Dr Bernard Akoi-Jackson has shared a disturbing image and story to protest illegal mining (galamsey).

He spoke, Wednesday, October 2, at the first-ever Annual Conference of the Performing Arts (ACPA) 2024, organised and hosted by the National Theatre, Accra.

Knowing how controversial the subject of galamsey had become, he called it “the current elephant in the room,” and proceed to tell a story which was illustrative of the canker, and the seeming unperturbedness of leadership.

The world-renowned artist and educator said “just last weekend,” he visited Konongo, Ashanti region, “to do some galamsey” – while it was not readily obvious what he meant, the word is colloquially used to mean a side gig.  

“On the Konongo main road, there’s a church, and then a group of coffin makers. Down in the valley here, there used to be a rice farm. This used to be a very vibrant rice farm. But, as I speak, this rice farm has been excavated and has become a galamsey mine. It’s very much at the beginning of Konongo and not in the hinterland,” Dr Akoi-Jackson said.

Pointing out more oddities about this site, he said: “A few metres away from it is, also, the Konongo-Odumase Police Station, and when you lift your head while riding in the bus you’ll see a very active galamsey site.”

He asserted the spontaneous protests in Accra against galamsey was “not just noise for the sake of it”.

“I think there’s a real issue at stake and that’s why artists must also raise their voices,” he rallied.

The multidisciplinary artist who is beloved for his art installations and make-believe African traditional rituals announced the picture of him at the devastated rice-farm-turned-galamsey-site was part of a project “I will be sharing very soon”.

See it here: 

Rampant and irregular mining has caused deforestation in many parts of Ghana and polluted major rivers across the country, prompting widespread concern and protests. 

Democracy Hub went on a protest against galamsey on September 21 to 23. Subsequently, the Concerned Citizens Against Galamsey held their anti-galamsey protest on October 3 to 5.

The Ghana Cocoa Board has warned galamsey threatens the foundations of cocoa farming, bearing dire consequences for the cash crop and Ghana's economy, most especially in view of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) which comes into force from January 2025.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana has also said Ghana may soon have to import water for medicine production if galamsey remains unchecked.