holly to finally become the person he's always wanted to be. and i have, i will despair badly. oh enough room for that rule with i was born in berlin. in 45 minutes, w. these places in europe or smashing all the records, stepped into a bold adventure. it's the treasure map for modern globetrotters. discover some of you to record breaking sites on google maps. and now also in book form well come to the 77 percent st debate. damn ones, gold iron, or you name it, sarah leon's got it. 20 years after the civil war, the west african country is no longer ruled by country damn once, but does the modern day mineral sector really benefit the people of sierra leone?

edith kimani had still quite a town in the down one which corner district to find out this week on the 77 percent st debate. we can see that human rights violations are still occurring. children are still being forced into these sites. do we give up? who do we sit down more should be left untouched. we often minded them on their government ages that are supposed to be protecting. supposed to be challenging the companies to deliver the arc lighting or who didn't introduce. oh, pressure ah hello and welcome back to the 77 percent the show for africa youth. this week we are in coy doing this is sarah leon's, rich mining district. and in this country you will find literally anything from coulton to ion or, and dian was. but it is extracted and very quickly exported. and so today we want

to find out those exports, translating to weld for the young people who live here who better to answer this question for me than fellow sierra leonean. and we're going to begin with abraham. and i just want to get an overview from you because of often i did say that, you know, had it said that minerals and rich, his natural riches, particularly for africa, can be occurs. what do you think of this as it occurs? well, i think very contrary, ah middle cannot be a course, and dominance are meant for beneficial. amen for development propos, it's all depend on the type of talent people have in the given sovereignty. let me hear from e, i here he is a student, but he was also mining and in the mines from a very young age. at 14, from on story. when i was 14 years old, i was going to school. i was on a, a genius economy school in se leon, also giving this kind of support for my relatives almost been we've been in love horses here. we can get our live lute. it was very difficult, very challenging because of the younger adult, skip school by dana to go to the mines. the give support because those roles of

live you, we had in even on so that i be alex kept up article appealed, not a falling out of school because a lot of colleagues whom we, we in that spirit with whom i started schooling with because of mining activities and because of you know, the defects of men in activities the reality before i did acacia to be a good number of them are dropouts. so if we look at the impacts of them mining to use jo in the white population saloon for me, it is much of course because we're not getting the kind of dividend. we're not getting the kind of profits. okay. and by the way, we should mention that where we are right now is a big mine that operates just beyond this mound. and what we're seeing is a byproduct of that blasting rocks which are then crushed into smaller pieces by the women we're seeing in the background to then be sold to construction workers. so i'd like to hear from the mayor because we've heard that this region, despite its riches, is not reflective of the diamonds and the gold that's coming out of this region. so i'm wondering why you are right there was lecture last lecture resources we have,

you cannot actually tell whether the diamonds, the goals or i mean eros extracting from gone all. what actually this is a place we are. those near us are both on the contrary to say, mineral deimos or whatever i mean, or are given or is it cause is not a cause. the availability of the natural resources has into the, is not a problem. it is a proper utilization of immune or resources that are the problem. policies around instruction of mirrors. these are the problem is if we have a good govern, our system will system put in place how to extract on, even if they say we policy got wind to bring those machines, those technologies, how to transform those raw materials here into a finished product after i let, let me, let me, let me just bring in slime on here because you spoke of policy and he is from the national mining agency,

the body that is supposed to enforce policy and also created around the extractive industry. so isn't right, but the me a thing that we just have a lack of that leadership from national level is that she, i can show you our form now from 2018 that the willingness is clear. now what's the address is, is, is focusing on mili, is to see the committees we are didn't. where does many of those are coming from the benefit from the. so given sure that the committee is to say in the committee room argument with the communities. so the, at the end of every year, the gross and revenues specific comp actually committed to have the committees that these with this wants to see and show that projects are been implemented in hold on a is the ready disagreeing with you? yes. and if you look at what mining companies are getting from, cannot dispute from the meanings that we are doing? and we compare it to the impacts in the community. it is not common. sure. it's even a community development agreement to say the sign we don't means is the amount that

is getting back to this communities. it can only take more tangible development projects. look at the community. for example, we have a close one community, which is a located community, which is say, a settlement discontinued to locks water. they are not in access, we liquidity and their vehicles, that is mining company. so what are we talking about and sense of community benefit from the mining? what does the sierra leonean government see about who mines, where they're allowed to mind? how much comes back into the community? water that's from them every year. know what it, what this, these settlements the idea of is you have yours, that little have water. where every day we learned in this were was gumps. we will tell the pool. this is the problem of the people is the problem people. so it's ongoing, it's going to address most of the seizures. we know the, the issues the, the mays raising his hand on that side. but i want to hear from mary for a 2nd because you grew up in a place that has been mining for a really long time. in fact, some of the earliest dime ones were discovered where you grew up. did you see this

reflected as you were growing up? you know that? yes, we have good agreements with that. oh, you're really shaking your head. no. okay, go ahead. tell me. before this time i think there was a better system in place. many people benefited from me before even we, we are born. i think we had of the benefits that our home parents, while grandparents we are benefiting. so for the fact that m. m. miami or diamond as a resources, i mean as a resource, been a cost to us. i personally disagree with that and foster fall because god cannot bless you. and in tom ca see again, it is sweeter individuals. it is weird, a lead us are lead us a beer. what actually i did doing in our that's will see that the, the, the actual bill i yet on bond bit are benefiting or there will be it benefited from these. my main accompanies on from the saucy story i want to come to patrick here

because he's actually wearing a shirt that says, ethical minerals. and what a mary has touched on is really important that previously there was a system that worked for everyone. but of course, the war came, and so the term blood dam one and conflict diamond arose, to what extent did the, what change and shift the way people think about extracting in this country. before the war came, i believed arianna's says nadia born now you have the awareness reduce our community to we are went to school. we really we, i had cobra to go to school. so now that she, i'd call you to go to school, you want to see that that being translates. if you calmly comes to do this, necessary needs for the community. okay, for them to all right, let me speak to isa here for a 2nd because we are hearing that look, the policies are amazing. is that the implementation that sucks. and i've had big companies being named here, but you as a small scale minor, are you one of the people who is deterring development from happening perhaps

because of bad employment practices? you know, i deal with a lot of people are almost 50 minus people working for me under daily circumstances . they've got kids that cannot even feed. they've got kids, they cannot even take all the hospitals. they sleep in houses where in the cramps and crowded with no mattresses, whatsoever they slip on the floors. and surely melissa is not because you're not paying the miller now. we pay ram when i got her as an example. i'm not sure if i'm supposed to say we're, we're paying the miles 70 percent power very. i thought i was and enough we pay room a dollar. and when did arman comes out, it's the phase. they tell us how much they want for it and we negotiate. so we actually support them to make sure they can get on the field and what i want to come back to a for a 2nd, because i want to understand, you know, i think for people who don't leave will come from places where their minds, the imagination is that you come in, you mind for 2 days, you get a dime one that's about 50 carrot and then your life is set. but what's the reality? well, the reality it is on so spears, for example,

your doing not to settle mine in previously. like a about so if he decayed sigel, some people will say but in as a young in b b i was leaving bone syndicate, baby kid sickle, they'll say like to leave the house by the olivia, your parents or wives or mincie. let me go to the mines in grants examining, come, but looking at a train now for the past, they're one decade now that us change eventually, on average, how long would a notice know, might not be at the mines before they're able to extract something meaningful to the awesome people, if you extend from stories to tell you that i've been mine in for the past for years and i've not gotten a single dowman. some people to love a minor for a busby as the damage i've gotten from the minds. it is only was about $50.00. okay . let me hear from ben. it's here because he's actually a very busy man. i was looking to him earlier, but he's actually a embroiled in apes, lawsuits active against big mining companies because of various reasons. so is what we're hearing from a reflective of what you're seeing in your profession. that it's the big mining companies were making it big, whereas the communities are basically going with nothing. our cameras was really

a street stick to these matters because they are subject to decide proceedings, but i would just refer to the fact that i've been, i've been upward, is the beauty. communities are calling out unseen. we've been oppressed, we've been abused by mining companies, and they are not respecting the laws and policies us articulated by the leadership of this country. what most warry does not become misbehavior that is warding to the communities, is their leadership attitude towards the oppression of pressure. and alex british, that is what, what is it where we consult with them in jim bud is what they always read under problem. we have also, he's got if that is the persistent motto, darby dick, to quote on, in the circumstances the communities are seen. instead, our lead us side. we toss the aside with the company. let me go to the leader that we have here. the mayor uni. i was coming for you that so you're laughing as the we're hearing that when people come to you and say, hey, these guys are here, they're doing one to 3 to us. you're really not caring about it. your, your mom,

sand about the investment rather than the welfare of the people in your community. true or false? well, when you look at in mind and policies in this country, what it is not done at the local level, our parliament in this country, they formulate those policies are div legislative level. the leadership i have like the local council level of leadership. if he asks me, i think i will stand with people the v of the people. because imagine it myself as a male when we meet at some quite us or people who say the mail for me, minute reach in a community. and he has a lot of money because he has a lot of money by to surprise you to know that to him. since i have became a male 2018, lo receive a $10000.00 cash from and me mine in bruises and his particular community. but give me a 2nd, let me come to the layman. how is that possible given that the act is very,

very clear, one percent of proceeds from mining companies should come back to the communities where the percentages and of static. it depends on the company. and i would like a quote in kennedy street. we have 5 large kidney companies, but only 2 are productive now. for every stage, every step one eltic, they have their consultants, they call them, they do every month regime park assessment to see what we're and this affects the committee. if we send them to the company quarterly, we have the most ramirez agency bought the comb inspection. they see what on what it is now when rights become new, they gave exactly picture we are the are and then we are going to under we are, we are the are from and, and we are going to now, okay, let me hear from penndot it's, it's i think erm the point in slow man is through brent america reflects or our communities who are fighting against oppression,

attitudes of government and political leaders so that the government agents that are supposed to be protect, protecting, supposed to be challenging the companies to deliver to the community they have been indicted by our communities, daddy, our crew lighting. how could nudin introduce operation? is a serious issue, is a security issue. and you look around here, these are the people who own the lands we are, the demos are made. did we reduce to the or to level of poverty, milo 00 poverty level. instead of having their children go to school, go to universities with 2 hospitals. you have good infrastructure. again, the children below 10 years. yeah. a smashing stones. dog from the robbers of the diamond meaning of genario type, one of the best quality demos in the world. and he cannot see. it is not accounted for. no one knows what is taking there every day. let me ask him, ask him to go. let me as let him declared to the people. so because i know you did say that to be fair, that the percentages are not static, but are you able to track and trace how much is being extract?

okay, now we are seeing an enemy has a mines complaint officers inside their huh. they walk and she, she to misses. what's the mainly the company gets the package, everything the same, the seal, it's the issue that has been seen and then kept in into a safe yet every day on it on, on piece of business. so in the last year or so, based on what the me a saying, you want to tell me that what has been exported. one percent of it does not amount to $10000.00. the enemy calculates what live there or debates with it. and then they have the percentage you're going to play wasn't that comes back to the committee for which the city says they've got the accounts, there's a dozen one as of the adults given and they are not being sent into the pharmacy. secondly, the committee and the committee hug. i work out, we insured up before the the start of use of the money, the identify projects for which the once implements. ok. what projects have been,

i mean, i'm sure that is beyond your scope, but i'm just trying to put a lot of if you put money into an account and you never see the result, why keep money into the account until now? did these certainly scoop to to go to schools and the public schools and then the arch ongoing projects. one i heard was easy as the article see on the south was i submitted. i want to come to you say here for a 2nd because you've recently returned al from living abroad. have you seen any dramatic changes since you've been away? i think her, to be honest. m theory on is the only place you come back so you never get lost because everything remains the same. whether it's in free town, it's in boys, so there has been no changes whatsoever. you know, the question would be, is them on the fleet that's going to bring that change for me? i'll say no, because we've seen over a century, perhaps their van dam on is made very low. that little impacts. we see other countries like the gambia synagogue, they've got no diamonds whatsoever. as

a matter of fact, they got peanuts. so for me, i don't know the answer to syrians problem is minerals and yet you're in the business. i'm in the business because i see there is a bit of an opportunity that i can make changes in people's lives. i help communities, our support people. i spend money on a daily basis. our employ people direct employment. as a matter of fact, i've got close contact with people in governance and what they say is we need people like, you know, that may came direct investment, direct employment. so i'm happy to be back home doing whatever little i can do. i see a lot of experts around me to know what's going on. they know what the problems are . maybe they need to be engaged a lot more. maybe there's that sense of responsibility by everyone to make sure we can harm or make an impact. all right. unfortunately is the has to leave because he's a busy man, he's going to hell diamonds. but his do have the panel here. let me say to the last comment in the other gentleman about them was zenato. nozer demos is unanswered a software before you call me. i google demos in saloon, i saw blood de moines,

i saw a day monster wreck in lives of people. i did the same demos was on it. i saw diamonds lifting, tell, swimming botswana. i saw the policy in botswana instead of having oc domain in a company registered in virgin islands on 100 percent of london men in c as in saloon, and taken over them in october, diamonds of saloon, italy presiding over the welto serial you and diamonds. bizarre la said no, we have what we call d swanner. that is the beer. and was swan or the state or the mining company that mines on police demos. it was. well, i guess what? on the record, 80 percent of the proceeds of the diamonds. it was on a goes to state coffers and guess what? all of that goes to schools, hospitals, roads, infrastructure. okay. i want to get from abraham an ear for a 2nd out because you know, as everybody is speaking,

i'm wondering you're the people who are living in these communities. why not take these companies and sue them? why not protest? why not demand more from your government? honestly, kona was a 100 percent destroyed during the civil war. this was the central yes, as of the war, probably for the diamonds. but we've also recovered 80 percent because of the diamonds, the small mines and other things. and our we are progressively competing with other places like mckinney board, the milk artists. i can't allow you to continue with your thought knowing full well that this gentleman standing next to you. he was forced out of school because he was actually a child in the might. yes, our how i believe him of what up when i was shot. so we want to go and meet with you that diamonds are suddenly now a blessing. when we can see that human rights violations are still occurring, children are still being forced into these sites. yes doth, makes me my, my work more relevant in as much as i was nearly killed in one of those demonstrations the like are test. i have my testimonies and i,

it's all about the wallison or jesse and a lot of places are. yeah, you are shutting a distraction kind of situation. do we give up? who do we sit down more should be left untouched. we have to mind the demos. let's move to other factors. you know, because these direct impact on, in direct impact on mary. i want to hear back from you, the women in these communities, most of them displaced because their land is used for mining. and then they find themselves internally displaced because they can't afford to buy land. they're not allowed to in some cases. tell me about that. really before this time, i am a we men, we are not allowed to own land and that these land are be regulated by b r e, his cheese and not us. so for the we men, as you can see, be our software because they cannot have at software because they cannot have at the backyard guardian in order to, to sustain that themselves with our children. i know more, you know, in as distance they did the company in about give it to them and i want to hear

from benedict. how difficult or easy is it to then take some of these companies to court? because, you know, if i say i used to have 2 plots, and now you've given me a half of what i had, what's the procedure? because we're, we're in court and we are litigating these matters on in we new fi business. i mean, we did not have the legal fees to pay, didn't look, they can't afford costa, they can't afford the cost of lawyers still to get rid of. and on, you can tell you what's inside the companies. they have tons of di mazda, of tons of money on accounted for, so they can put it on hold. but often, as we didn't have that report does, this matters. and it is not a heating secret. it is not rocket science to look at the people in corner and see by new companies. you have not lived up to expectations. so i'm, i will be challenging the mirrors and disappear jermel very close to come out and calendar apartments. you've angelina just to called us, i say listen, we cannot be petoskey boost. we are presented over debris where your presided over poverty, yet in the midst of wealth and another challenge that comes from mining. of course,

you're dealing with ethical minerals. i said earlier, what are some of the implications of these extractive practices if you can even call them that? well i receive the implications like if this big company that are coming into the community likely now the used the some machine is the context of rito the just man dandy lived the whole like that. then i believe if delivery like that's for the future generation, they will house like now you measure culture, they would have some, some yachts would do the i culture because the, the whole the pit is left open. okay. slam, and i like the fact that you're raising your hand because i wanted to ask, what is it? and it may say about this. so we tell them after money, you will clearly land because of so many does the order use of land. so what you're saying is the companies are compelled, or they're supposed to, yasser poor still opposed to her. it's in my experience is that said the enemy and the p. alice, i lived in love,

in sense of visual protection of the environment. because if we look at the piano on the protection agency to be fair, they've been trying to plant trees, they're doing their best to recover and reclaim some of the land. we are the trees that the up lansing, the feasible growing. these are the uplands yellow, even looking after the trees. for me, most of institute is that she shows up a money of years of the environment are just may leave her lip service for the people. so we've had quite a myriad of challenges related to both large scale and small scale mining, particularly in this region. and now i want to find out for my panelists, how do we move forward? you know, as a sun sets down, i want to hear what we can do to change the situation because expect listed for decades. mary, you have something to say to me, all these issues that we have dealt with and we have a we forward. how cool do the, the top management has to change their attitude, especially in the a of this mining companies we are seen, deceased them. i'm the policies that are already in place should be implemented. we should stop saying them less implementing and of cause regarding we men. we have

several structures in place. we want is a m. m. stone cautious. we men, we have them as an association. so these block chas. i'm if we want to empower them . there are several other ways, maybe in agriculture, we can bring in god i will catch up broke. i mean programs and we subscribe them so . so that's how we got our program flow. empower women creating skills for them to use for the m. s. if all goes on or is it for him any solutions for me? yes, that's then 20 percent of old was coming from the mash will go to the women and the children. okay. for the k, sean 4000000 students and their community supports. does anybody else have a solution that we haven't heard yet? i think the government center government was realized and was understand that it is the future of the children that is being put in your body for the from the mains. and the government has a single at us will civility, if you want to do it,

they can do it next. a little early gave indeed to t the excuses, the, the, the, the, the structural adjustments, the reliance on $40.00 i live in. i live does not need these, not necessary if they can really utilize the resources that are coming here. and like i said to the enemy, a gentleman, we don't know what comes there every day. even if this it is new, they're not publishing it. so how can we clim to one percent ready to present that sag leading to phosphorus? how would you calculate 100 percent of a lot rates? nothin. so the goldman was beaten spirit, accountable, and development must not be particularly political issue. once you own government, you are government for everybody. okay, well, at the beginning of this debate, i asked if the riches that i found largely under ground in this country present a curse or not to the economy and the people of this region. what i've heard in a resounding way is that no, they're not. it's simply how they're handled or mishandled. i don't know what your viewpoint is, but thank you for watching. thank you. it is for that important conversation and

thank you for watching. we've come to the end of the show but not before we give to amuse the call, treat enjoy. 2 ah, ah ah, with

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