AngloGold Ashanti's Tailings Dump Pre-Study Tour Objectives -- To understand how gold mining industries affect local Ghanaians -- To understand the differences between how local Ghanaians and international multinationals view corporate social responsibility. -- To have the following questions answered: o How is corporate social responsibility exhibited by multinationals and local companies? o How are health and human rights issues affected by extractive industries? Positively or negatively? o How does corporate social responsibility play a role on the community, if at all? o Does gold mining result in positive or negative affects on the community? -- Do local Ghanaians like having the industry playing a major role in their lifestyle? o What do local chiefs and officials think of the gold industry? o What do government and local officials, companies and chiefs think if the industry was gone? -- What would be an alternative form of revenue for the communities/government? o What has been done to protect the (negative) environmental impacts affecting the communities from the gold industry? o How does education impact CSR (mentioned in article) and what type of education is being given to the growing generation? o Who works the gold mines? Young or old? What are the benefits to work the mines? Are there any benefits from companies or are individuals simply "brain washed" to work? -- To become more knowledgeable, to understand and, within both, to appreciate and absorb Ghanaian culture! -- To try new foods! -- Talk to everyone - surround myself fully with culture and to take advantage of listening to stories and gaining unique experiences!

Illegal gold extraction by the galamsey What I Actually Learned from My Ghana Gold Study Tour While many of my questions were answered through Q&A sessions after meetings, en route to locations, speaking with Beatrix, or through my field work interviews and observations, I found that only more questions arose as time diminished. I now have a greater thirst for a deeper understanding of the aforementioned questions, which does not hinder the purpose of my explorative questions or objectives. For example, I have discovered that gold mining, in fact, is not simply a mechanical process engineered to just extract a mineral from the earth's depths. Rather, many sectors of the community are affected - not just the topsoil. When I ask: Does gold mining result positive or negative effects on the community? I am now able to reanalyze and broaden my view about how mining affects economic stability, sustainability, environmental and health issues. My undergraduate concentration is Biology-Psychology, so I have had very little exposure to other fields of study that are of interest to me, such as politics, economics, and environmental sciences. Therefore, not only have I re-thought about my objectives in terms of these other areas, but I have been granted the opportunity to learn these others aspects of study through ground fieldwork.

Mercury covered gold extracted by the galamsey What I Thought I Would Learn from My Ghana Gold Study Tour Quite frankly, I truly did not believe that this study tour would surpass my expectations to the extent in which it did. I have traveled extensively, have had many experiences studying abroad at universities and in the field through internships and group trips, but not one trip has taught me as much as the Ghana Gold study tour has. By "teach"I am not suggesting that we had intensive classroom hours, nor am I suggesting that the individuals that we heard from in Ghana lectured us for hours at a time. I am saying that the observation, the fieldwork, the interactions and the immersion with what we were specifically learning about. The best example I can give was the day we visited the AngloGold Ashanti tailings dump, and then went straight to meet with illegal miners, or "galamsey." While we had the opportunity of visiting AngloGold Ashanti's main offices and had a chance to meet with the directors, once we headed to the tailings dump, physically walked on and saw the extensive field of gold tailings dump, it unexplainably shocked me. I was able to see, not just know the areas heard about and see how hazardous this would be to the surrounding vegetation, lake and communities. I could not believe how dangerous living conditions were for the local town. Although the areas were safe at first glance, on the microscopic level, they were not. When we visted the galamsey, I saw the expected polluted water. The free flowing river was far from freely accessible for apart from being polluted, the fish it contained were also contaminated. The nearby vegetation was also polluted since the polluted water was used to nourish these plants. It was clearly an inescapable cycle that these dependent people could not avoid. I absolutely despised the feeling on incapacity - suffocated from actually being unable to do anything at that moment in time. Nonetheless, the experience, along with having the opportunity to see illegal mining as it has never been shown to much of the public before, was just astounding. The experience really fueled my fire to help - motivating me to gain greater purpose through my schoolwork, to go beyond my potential and to know more clearly what I will strive to do in the future.

Miner at the AngloGold Ashanti tailings dump Ghana Gold 2009 Study Tour Home

Truck at AngloGold Ashanti tailings dump Spring Colloquium Objectives -- Spring Colloquium objectives: o To learn more about environmental and health issues in Kwabeng o To better understand tailings dump in relation to the surrounding communities -- Are the mining companies taking responsibility for potential environmental harm as a result of tailings? o To explore how corporate social responsibility is being implanted within other Ghana communities or African nations o To understand Ghana's history and how the past has impacted the present o To research microfinance firms and their impact on Ghana's GDP o To learn about African politics, especially since I have not had a political science course at Tufts and because we experienced Ghana's election during our trip o To understand Ghana's economic situation more in depth especially after witnessing the country's status and speaking with citizens o To better understand Ghanaian culture through their traditions and symbolism, such seen with Kente cloth o To use my study tour reflection, my trip's resources and my Tufts campus resources to get a more interdisciplinary understanding of Ghana's gold mining industry.

AngloGold Ashanti's Tailings Dump Outside of Obuasi Post-Colloquium Reflection While my colloquium objectives varied, three principle aims of focus were priority. In order to meet these, the guest lecturers were the main tools for meeting my colloquium objectives. Firstly, specific to my area of focus for the tour and colloquium, Professor Gute, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, came to discuss schistosomiasis in Kwabeng, a town visited on the tour linked to water contamination from XtraGold's mining site. After visiting the area, seeing the contaminated water source and the mining site (yet halted during visit), Professor Gute's presentation helped cement my understanding of the issue in a more tangible manner. Another key objective was to better understand Ghanaian history. While I skimmed through brief historical contexts prior to the trip, Dr. Christopher McHugh came to discuss Gold in Finance and Economics, including brief Ghanaian history. I was able to connect how past coup d'Etats have brought Ghana to the republic it is today. Lastly, my main objective that I wanted to grasp was better understanding the meanings behind Ghanaian culture. Professor Peter Probst's presentation gave detailed insight to Cultural Agency, such as Kente cloth and the chiefs' reason for wearing Kente cloth, the meanings between different Kente patterns and how each is associated with different symbolism. I found it interesting when Professor Probst, showed us the photograph of chiefs wearing Kente cloth (formerly restricted to royalty and males only) but then how Kente cloth got more democratized and global. visiting the white house. President Eisenhower's expression was indicative to the reaction many Americans may have had or still do have when seeing Kente cloth around major cities. However, I was happy to know that the reason Kwame Nkrumah wore the Kente cloth to the white house was for a political statement - because he was proud. Proud to be Ghanaian, to be the leader of the newly independent Ghanaian state, to be a cultural symbol of this past and present through the Kente design. The other focus I wanted to have a better grasp for was the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in terms of XtraGold and AngloGold Ashanti. On the tour we were able to personally ask locals and AngloGold officials about their corporate social responsibility. Also, through other lecturers at the University of Ghana, we were able to aim our focus towards CSR. However, once back in the United States, physically out of reach with the people and mining lands in Ghana, the focus to how, or even if, corporate social responsibility is being exhibited was more out of reach. While the readings helped to have a sense of what exactly IS corporate social responsibility, class work and readings are not sufficient to knowing if these companies are currently following through with their promises of continuing bettering the lives of the communities around them.

Sign from AngloGold Ashanti's main offices Post-Study Tour Reflection The majority of my tour objectives were met while on the trip through various forms of research and analysis. As mentioned, speaking with locals and conversing with members of the community was the best way to seek answers. Lectures at the University of Ghana - Legon and guest speakers on location were also essential to understanding personal and overall tour objectives. I liked the small group number and personal interactions we had, which greatly facilitated personal and more in depth questions to be answered. While most of my objectives were discussed during the trip, there were a few that I had hoped to gain greater insight. I wanted to understand just how multinationals and local companies exhibited corporate social responsibility. While we met with AngloGold Ashanti and discussed the issue with them, due to time constraints, we were not able to meet with additional companies to discuss how corporate social responsibility was being executed within the surrounding communities. With this circumstance, one of my other objectives was not able to be met: understanding the differences between how local Ghanaian companies and international multinational companies view corporate social responsibility. Again, time was a factor and inability to meet with more companies prevented these objectives to be fulfilled. Post-tour readings ae me brief insights to my sought-out answers, however additional research will still need to be completed. However, I was thrilled that the greater portions of my objectives were met through the interactive format of the Study Tour!