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AFRICA

Artisanal mining is a hard, dangerous, often

life-threatening pursuit but one on which

millions of families rely for their livelihood

Australian documentary photographer Hugh Brown was
the keynote speaker at this year’s NewGenGold conference
dinner. He took delegates through his adventures
documenting just a few of the 30 million men, women
and children mining by hand in some of the world’s most
dangerous environments.
His quest has taken him to the cliff faces of earth’s highest mountains, the
crater of an active volcano, the interior of world’s most dangerous mountain,
areas of active terrorist insurgencies and the Siberian Sub-Arctic in mid-winter,
one of the world’s coldest places.
The result is Brown’s newest book, The Cruellest Earth – Man’s Quest for
a Better Life, to be published in 2020. Here, we display just a few of the
thousands of images Brown has taken of artisanal gold miners in West Africa.
“The book is 75% done,” Brown told GMJ. “It will feature 10 of the most
incredible and spectacular mining locations on earth; men, women and
children mining with their bare hands.”
To pre-order The Cruellest Earth – Man’s Quest for a Better Life,
please go to
www.hbrownofficial.com/CruellestEarthBookPreOrder

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