After the Gold Rush
Alkamisaika
Päättymisaika
Welcome to an international seminar After the Gold Rush on gold extractivism and other economy building!
Time: Friday, 22.5.2015, at 9.00–13.30
Venue: Helsinki University, Fabianinkatu 26, room 115
Registration: By 20.5. at liisa.uimonen (at) gmail.com
Mining activities, production and resulting income determine the narrative on development in many countries. The debate around mining and extractivism, and their local and far-away socioecological consequences, is multifaceted. In some localities companies are asked for accountability and to share part of the profit with communities. In others, community members request stronger rights to pursue mining. Yet elsewhere the necessity of (certain) mining activities itself is questioned. In this seminar, with our speakers from Mali, Tanzania, Nigeria, India and Finland, we will go into the debate especially around gold.
Linked to the debate around mining and extractivism is also new economy building, which would be strengthening people's and nature's well-being. One central question to be raised is, how does the underlying logic of other economy building stand in opposition to an extractivist logic, and what can these tensions come to mean locally. What do needs for materials and income mean in a solidarity economy and commons framework in the South and North?
The seminar will also act as a launching event for the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) report on the global economy on minerals (read more of the project here (in Finnish): http://www.sll.fi/mita-me-teemme/kaivostoiminta/kaivannaistenmaailmantalous).
The seminar is organised in cooperation between Siemenpuu Foundation, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Kepa, Dodo Sinsibere, and Friends of the Earth Finland.
Program and speakers
9.00–11.00. PART 1: Perspectives from Mali, Tanzania and Nigeria on gold mining and extractivism
Mr Kalidou Togola, mayor of Finkolo-Ganadagou in Sikasso, Mali: "Non Merci!"
What are the local consequences? How to increase corporate accountability of industrial mining? How to build other economy in opposition to artisanal gold extractivism?
Mr Alex Ruchyahinduru, Policy Forum Tanzania: Gold extractivism and the challenge of corporate accountability policies in Tanzania
Mr Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth Nigeria: "Breaking the Black Gold addiction." What can we learn from the Nigerian struggle against oil extractivism?
Panel discussion on the different struggles, perspectives and current initiatives with Mr Togola, Mr Ruchyahinduru and Mr Bassey
11.00–11.20. BREAK with coffee and a salty snack
11.20–12.10. PART 2: Perspectives from Finland
Perspective from Northern-Finland – speaker to be confirmed: What are the regional consequences of the gold boom to other economies?
Mr Jari Natunen, biochemist: The ecological impacts of Finnish gold mining
Mr Otto Bruun, FANC, draws from the report on the global economy of minerals: Do we need gold?
12.15–13.00. PART 3: Post-extractivism. What kind of economies are we building?
Ms Outi Hakkarainen, Kepa; Mr Tuomo Alhojärvi, Solidarity Economy collective & Ms Ruby van der Wekken, Siemenpuu: post-extractivism; solidarity economy and commons contributions to the debate.
Some Questions and Answers beyond gold with Ms Indu Netam, Mines, Minerals and People, India: Case of bauxite in India. From overconsumption driven resource exploitation to minerals as a commons.
13.00–13.30. Final discussion and conclusions
The seminar will be held in English, and moderated by Mr Marko Ulvila (Siemenpuu board chair). A more detailed program will be published later.
The event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1480547838902202/
For coffee and snack serving, please register at liisa.uimonen (at) gmail.com by May 20th the latest!
For more information on the event and speakers, please contact: Liisa Uimonen, liisa.uimonen (at) gmail.com, 050 5118 041 Ruby van der Wekken, ruby.vanderwekken (at) siemenpuu.org, 050 436 2171
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The discussions will culminate in a panel discussion during the World Village Festival: Taiga stage, Sunday, May 24th, at 16.20–16.50
After the Gold Rush – extractivism from Mali to Finland
Mining activities, production and resulting income determine the narrative on development in many countries. The multifaceted debate around mining and extractivism, and their local and faraway socioecological consequences, ranges from corporate accountability and community mining rights to fundamentally questioning the necessity of certain mining activities. In the panel, actors from Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania and Finland discuss the tensions between extractivism and economies based on solidarity values and local needs, while drawing from the outcome of the "After the Goldrush" seminar.