Artisanal Gold Mining Mali

[andreadoloffo]

Thank you for the true picture of seeing how Capitalist Oligarchs continue to exploit the poor, meager wages and unfair brutal labor practices in order to enrich themselves as always.

[HumboldtMike]

@andreadoloffo Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the "Capitalist Oligarchs" myself. I'm also not a big fan of gold mining in general. But spewing like you are doing with no understanding of the particulars, does nobody any favors. These people do this of their own volition between harvest and planting time. They are freelance, and are paid the going rate for the gold. And this is the only way many of them have of earning cash. You've chosen a poor example for airing your politics.

[sambking]

@andreadoloffo

I don't see a gun to anyones head. Looks voluntary to me. And what about the UNSEEN as Bastiat said? Without these jobs how much worse off would these people be? Going off half-cocked without doing your homework shows your ignorance. I suggest going to Mises.org and start reading. I don't believe in forcing anyone to do anything and I don't see any force here.

[MrAhamoui]

Great video, people that do this work should be respected for what they have to go through, including the camera man

Good work, very interesting

[HumboldtMike]

@MrAhamoui Thanks! Yes, massive respect to my friends in Mali. The camera man is just glad that they were willing to "go through" having him there - and is glad that he doesn't have to work that hard all the time... The camera man wouldn't have been comfortable shooting if he hadn't already been there for two years. I knew all of the adults except the muscular bald guy, and he was subtly gracious in allowing me to film. And I wouldn't have posted if the area wasn't already well known for gold.

[grantcop2]

Gold!:D

[kristinetourdi]

Very interesting video, thanks! I've spent about a year in Mali, but mostly in Bamako and never seen this work. Would you mind sharing the name of the town you filmed this in?

[HumboldtMike]

I had some leather work done a couple of times, but my blacksmith friends sent it to another village to be done. The only time I saw leather work was at the artisan's market in Bamako, but I didn't observe much. I remember a guy using water with rusty nails in it to stain some leather.

I guess racists are looking for any excuse to be idiots...

[lionzion22]

Nice to see what made Mali rich in it's ancient past. I'd like to see how they work with leather.

Why would people leave racist comments about this?  That is amazing.

[maxinpains]

I would like to see how do they refine those blacksand golds...Thanks

[HumboldtMike]

@maxinpains I know that they took a mix of black sand and gold home at the end of the day, but I don't know how they refined it.

[maxinpains]

@HumboldtMike Well, those guys are very very clever than people think they are by just a looks.

i'm pretty much sure they do know how to refine with chemicals or electrosis style. No Mercury.

[LOW1711]

I love to see people getting rich ! I wish it was me !

[cooperdedooper1]

They eat fish and they work all day long,they don't lay around eating potato chips and playing video games

[faska112]

@cooperdedooper1 very good anser proud off u love it

[snogawanker]

COOL!!!!

[OMFGWTFBBQKKTWNTY]

Incredible video, such a good insight.

[HumboldtMike]

@OMFGWTFBBQKKTWNTY Thanks for the positive comment. It's amazing how many idiotic racist comments I have to delete. I get tense every time I get an email notification for a comment on my Mali vids, so it's a relief to get good comments...

[1gooners21]

@HumboldtMike how much gold do you get in a year in mali by panning

[HumboldtMike]

@1gooners21 It seemed the kids I hung out with got about $1 or so a day in 1994. The more serious panners, like in this vid, probably got more. They are probably enjoying 2011 prices...

[GalderIncarnate]

Ahh I see! Yeah, that clay layer sounds pretty nasty. Thank you for your timely response, I was quite curious.

[GalderIncarnate]

There is a show called "The History of Gold" which shows some MAJOR gold being excavated in the jungles. The process is very damaging to the landscape, but smaller scale mining could still process amazing results without the damage.

[GalderIncarnate]

I am a prospector myself and I am wondering; Why not prospect in smaller streams in the jungle? This river may be rich, but I would think that more gold would be yielded with the same, if not less energy expended.

[HumboldtMike]

@GalderIncarnate It's a very arid landscape, so there aren't any streams or jungle. When they dig wells away from the river they hit a clay layer before groundwater and will dig the clay out to look for gold. There are also some deep well-like pit mines in the hills. But the only place where the clay layers are exposed near the surface, and where there is water to pan it during the dry season (when they have time from farming to look for gold) is in the river channel.

[tomspeed2005]

Ok, Thanks a lot my friend, so is best i go find a Treasure or gold with my metal detector :))

[tomspeed2005]

Where is there? i want go to find gold :)

[HumboldtMike]

@tomspeed2005 Upstream of Bamako -- but it's a heck of a lot of work for a dollar or two a day...

[parkerhodge]

damn he is fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[orangedac]

aren't they afraid of a crocodile floating down stream and joining the party

[HumboldtMike]

@orangedac Good question. I knew one guy who had a picture of himself with a large croc they had killed when he was a lot younger. But these days they only see a few crocs in very remote areas. I never saw a sign of one in two years, even in remote areas. There are a lot of fishermen in that area who would probably notice if a croc were hanging around, so I don't think the gold panners worry too much. They were more concerned about electric catfish and hippos.

[HeavyWeightGunner]

This is the way the world is at the moment, all about the profit.

[HumboldtMike]

Huh? These folks live on a dollar a day. Try that for a day and see if it feels like profit.

[Kulexy]

wow, they make a good job. Are they work for somebody, who pay them for jwork, or they work for themself?

[HumboldtMike]

They work for themselves. A gold buyer comes to the local market every Friday and apparently pays them a fair price. Thanks for asking.

[southsudanvoice]

so the river is full of cold. let's call it the River of Gold.

[southsudanvoice]

wow.. God bless them. :)

[taigokai]

gusy i np how to get free gold go to the museam and then break the glass but be careful and then get it and run away!

[shakiin000]

what a physique!

what do they eat to look like that!?

[HumboldtMike]

Lots of peanuts and hard work...

[PetesBloodyHand]

I remember you telling me even the old guys are lean and ripped because all they do is work hard everyday.

[orangedac]

@HumboldtMike

these african guys must be pumping iron at the gym

not a beer belly in sight.

[HumboldtMike]

@orangedac The blacksmiths pound iron at the forge... Life there is its own gym. Also, no beer.

[Ganbareg]

@orangedac real graft, us westerners are fng soft

[Ganbareg]

not much and work hard

[terry455]

@Ganbareg

This river is rich.

[jpaol99]

@shakiin000 I'm guessing not much on 1-2 dollars a day!

[TheTrueJBV3737]

@jpaol99 soon to be 300-600 dollars a day!

[koni1314]

@shakiin000 no fast food...

[laurachiquis23]

un trabajo muy difícil

[lambz]

good work

[joemcc1]

yea i see the gold now lol wish i could get my hands on some tho looks like hard work :)

[soloerc]

A lot of hard work !

Good job !

[joemcc1]

was the gold black ???

[HumboldtMike]

It's kind of hard to see the gold at this low res. Look for the sparkles at the edge of the black sand.

[piecartbox]

LOL

[domat69]

damn fast forward

[alandjiiski]

Video-Super!

[HumboldtMike]

Thanks!