Heidi Woodman‘s project Gold Fever examines the Ghanaian gold industry. She describes the country’s relationship with gold as “complex and paradoxical”:
On the one hand, the industry is crucial to the health of the country’s formal economy. But on the other, production of the precious metal has had devastating long-term effects on the environment. This in turn has both direct and indirect adverse socio-economic repercussions, especially since an estimated 70%-80% of the population rely on the land for their livelihoods in one form or another. As such, Ghana’s health and success as a country and as a population is inextricably linked to its environment. So, the relentless pursuit of gold, while profitable in the short-term, is ultimately destroying the things that are most precious to Ghana.
The Dish 