Outreach Sara Geenen

Together with Bossissi Nkuba we prepared a video presentation for the Responsible Jewellery Council, 2022.

CEGEMI and photographer Robert Carrubba organised an exhibition called “Creuseurs de rêves”, from 9 April to 7 May 2022 at the Institut Français in Bukavu. At the opening, different CEGEMI studies on the socio-economic life of the miners were presented. At the closing event, the presentations focused on the theme of health and environment in the mines. 

On 17 February I was invited by Al Jazeera English’ The Stream to discuss the Seven Grams project. Here are some take aways : 1. Working conditions in DRCongo mines remain poor despite years of supply chain regulation, 2. There are no quick fixes to labour exploitation in global supply chains: cheap labour is not just a leak in the water pipe. It is the force that makes the water running through the pipes, 3. There are no quick fixes to labour exploitation in global supply chains: cheap labour is not just a leak in the water pipe. It is the force that makes the water running through the pipes, 4. Stop or reduce the sourcing from DRCongo is not a solution! (as long as miners have no alternative income generation) It kills miners just as much as mining accidents, 5. Not all violence is due to armed group presence & armed groups don’t depend on mining only. @IPISResearch database counts 2347 mines in East. In 847 armed groups interfere. Most = Congolese army. Interference = taxation.

Reuters 2020

Reuters reported on the horrible collapse of a gold mine in Kamituga; I commented on work conditions in these mines. I wanted to stress that deplorable working conditions should not be a reason to stop sourcing from ASM, but on the contrary to support it and invest more in protective equipment.

The Conversation 2020

Together with Boris Verbrugge I wrote an article on how informal gold miners are missing out on the current boom in mineral prices.

De Standaard & La Libre Belgique

Together with Kristof Titeca I wrote an opinion article on Milo Rau’s Congo Tribunal in De Standaard (in Dutch) and La Libre Belgique (in French).

Opinion piece

I was quoted in Emmanuel Freudenthal’s article for IRIN news on How advocacy gave Trump ammunition on conflict-free minerals. This was following an opinion article on Trump’s decision to repeal Dodd Frank in The Conversation. It can be found here.

Conflict minerals open letter

I signed the open letter on the dangerous consequences of the ‘conflict minerals’ narrative and translated the letter in Dutch The open letter got coverage in several international media: the Washington Post, the Guardian, Al Jazeera, TAZ, RFI, Radio Okapi, Mo Magazine and others

La Libre Belgique

My research was mentioned in an article on artisanal miners in the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique

Mo*Magazine

In 2011 I wrote an article in MO*Magazine on the impact of the presidential mining ban (in Dutch)

Texas in Africa

I wrote an article on the early impact of the mining ban for the Texas In Africa blog in November 2010

IRIN

I was cited in an IRIN article on ‘Keeping track of mineral resources‘