Income opportunities for many or development through state revenues? Contested narratives on mining

Abstract

The article investigates how the narrative that speaks of large-scale mining (LSM) by multinational companies as a pathway to development is formed and sustained. The promotion of capitalism as a mode of production, in general, and for the profit of multinational companies, in particular, is legitimised by a positively connoted notion of ‘development’. This builds on modernisation theory and complies with the neoliberal paradigm. By using Burkina Faso as a case study, this article demonstrates how the said narrative draws on a storyline of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) as dangerous, unorganised, and uncontrolled, constructed by state and corporate actors, and supported by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to legitimise the expansion of LSM. It illustrates that the narrative is efficacious as it is supported by a variety of actors that are able to pursue their interests by promoting LSM as a pathway to development: for the companies and state authorities it fulfils the function of legitimising the expansion of LSM; for the NGOs, it enables them to raise funds. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the narrative promotes certain policies and, therewith, excludes others and thus social reality, e.g. the establishment of institutions. The article concludes by highlighting insights into moral economy illuminated by the provided analysis.

L'article étudie comment se forme et se maintient le narratif qui présente l'exploitation minière à grande échelle (LSM) par des sociétés multinationales comme une voie de développement est formé et soutenu. Le promotion du capitalisme en tant que mode de production, en général, et pour le profit des multinationales, en particulier, est légitimée par une notion de “développement” connotée positivement. Cela s'appuie sur la théorie de la modernisation et se conforme au paradigme néolibéral. En utilisant le Burkina Faso comme étude de cas, cet article présente comment ledit narratif s'appuie sur un scénario d'exploitation minière artisanale et à petite échelle (ASM) comme dangereuse, non organisée et non contrôlée, construite par l'État et les entreprises, et soutenue par certaines organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), pour légitimer l'expansion de l'ASM. Il montre que le narratif est efficace car il est soutenu par une variété d'acteurs qui sont ecapables de poursuivre leurs intérêts en promouvant le LSM comme une voie de développement : pour les entreprises et les autorités étatiques, il remplit la fonction de légitimer l'expansion du LSM ; pour les ONG, il leur permet de collecter des fonds. En outre, l'analyse révèle que le narratif promeut certaines politiques et, par conséquent, en exclut d'autres. L'article conclut en mettant en évidence les perspectives d'économie morale éclairées par l'analyse fournie.

Keywords:

• extractivism
• artisanal mining
• narratives
• moral economy
• Burkina Faso

Mots clés:

• extractivisme
• exploitation minière artisanale
• narration
• économie morale
• Burkina Faso

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statement of Ethics

All interviewees have been anonymised and gave consent to be interviewed for the purposes of this research. At the time this study was conducted, Freie Universität Berlin did not require ethical approval to be sought for this type of research.

Notes

1 In March, September, and December 2015; March–April and September 2016; March and September–October 2017; February–March and September–November 2018; February–March and September–October 2019.

2 For more information on the project, see www.land-conflicts.net

3 The authors adjusted the official data on gold production from artisanal and small-scale mining in Burkina Faso, referring to estimations of the ministry of environment according to which de facto amounts were probably tenfold higher than official figures.

4 This estimation should be treated with caution, insofar as the figures are extrapolated from only one artisanal mining site, Alga in the Central North region, not far from the city of Kongoussi. Alga is one of the largest sites, quite productive and long-lasting, so, amounts might be lower at smaller and less ‘professional’ site. Moreover, particularly in the South West region, artisanal mining is characterised by a high portion of internal migrants, many of them originating from the north of the country, who might be less likely to invest money on the spot.

5 These are probably the two most visible Burkinabé developmental NGOs working on mining, at least at the time the research for this article was carried out. However, the analysis here is also based on informal talks with representatives of other national and international NGOs and observations made during workshops and meetings.

6 Quotations from interviews have been translated from French into English.

7 Thanks to Cristiano Lanzano for this observation.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung [grant number FKZ 01LN1302A].