Bloody Gold: the lives and deaths of miners in Guyana

Feb 22, 2015 News

By Desilon Daniels
They toil away, day in and day out; sweat drips into their eyes, mosquitoes buzz around their heads, their arms bulge with muscle. “It is worth it,” they say, “The gold is calling.”

Gold mining in Guyana (KN file photo)

Each year, countless miners head into the interior locations in pursuit of the golden metal that promises them all better lives. Also each year, a number of miners are killed in these locations and are reunited with their families in body bags.
Despite the known risks of murder, accidents, and harsh conditions these countless numbers of men and women still head into the area and, according to one miner who spoke with this newspaper, the lure of gold oftentimes outweighs even the fear of death.
The man recounted that he began heading into the interior when he was 18 years old and had chosen to become a miner because he had needed to support himself. He added his mother had been mostly absent in his upbringing while his father’s presence had been completely nonexistent. He said he instead had relied on the help of other relatives until he was old enough to take care of himself.
Now 21 years old, the young man maintains that he will continue to head into the “bush” until he is physically incapable of doing so. He said each time he would return home and promise his family to stay, but would soon become restless and head back into the interior to work. While home, he said he would do odd jobs such as carpentry and car washing to make some money. However, he opined these sums were mere pittances. “Is like this mining thing just deh in me,” he said.
He explained he had already contracted malaria and also said the conditions in the interior were especially difficult. However, he said, mining presented an opportunity for persons who wanted to make an honest living to do so, even though the job was a tough one.
He stated that he barely made it through high school and had not been a “bright boy”. He further said job opportunities were limited for persons who are uneducated.
According to the miner, he had initially believed the hardest part of working as a miner was dealing with the conditions. However, he found that the most difficult part had been dealing with the people.
“Is like everybody angry in the bush; you just look at somebody the wrong way and duh is the end of you,” he said. He also stated alcohol fuelled many of the altercations between miners.
‘I’M STILL IN SHOCK’
For the families and friends of dead miners, moving on is hard – particularly when unanswered questions still abound.
This is an everyday reality for Reynold Moore. Reynold is the elder brother of dead miner Devon Moore who was shot to death in Five Star, North West District last month. For Reynold, the wounds are still fresh, and he explained he is “still in shock” at his brother’s murder.
“Up to now I can’t believe it,” Moore said before adding, “Knowing that my brother is not with us…it’s difficult to deal with and come to grips with. I’m still in shock.”
Moore explained he and his brother had been very close growing up and had leaned on each other, because they had been parentless. His brother, he said, had moved to the North West District after falling ill and had begun a hardworking career as a miner.
Though they did not live together, Moore said he would frequently see his brother, as the man was a constant visitor to his home despite being employed and busy.
Moore recalled with horror the day he heard of his brother’s murder. He said he received a call informing him of the shooting, but he initially hoped that the incident was not true.
“When you hear something in the North West you got to confirm it first,” he explained. He said he had instantly begun making calls to learn his brother’s fate. His calls led him to the Port Kaituma police station and he was informed that his brother had been on the Five Star landing, “lying motionless”. Moore added that he could not confirm at that time whether his brother was indeed dead or not.
Only later that day was the harrowing news confirmed, he said. “They didn’t give me much to go by. Is until they called me later to say that he was dead,” Moore said.
He described his brother as hardworking and loved, and he maintained the man had lost his life foolishly. Further, he expressed the hope that his brother’s killer would be brought to justice.
“We’re trying to cope with whatever all of this is, but we’re still trying to locate the guy who did this to Devon. Right now, there’s no progress, but we’re still hoping,” he said.
Just over two months into 2015, a number of persons have already been killed in the interior locations; on New Year’s Day alone the Guyana police had been probing the murders of two miners.
Andre Britton, 50 years, of 111 Miles Mahdia, Potaro, was stabbed to death on January 1, reportedly by a man he had confronted earlier. According to police reports, Britton had earlier confronted the man about throwing squibs into his yard. The man later returned and stabbed Britton multiple times about the body.
Similarly, Augustine Samuels, 52, of Aracru, North West District (NWD) was stabbed to death as the New Year broke. According to the police, Samuels and another man had been drinking at a shop when the latter became embroiled in an argument with the owner of the shop. While the owner of the shop managed to escape, Samuels was not as fortunate, and instead became the man’s target. He was stabbed several times and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mabaruma Hospital.
Recently, the body of Mark Joseph was discovered on a roadway in Baramita, North West District. His body had been found with a number of suspected stab wounds to the chest.