Towards a Transformation of Gold Panning on the Tangonie Site, Burkina Faso

Mining in Burkina Faso is characterized by both industrial and artisanal mining, commonly referred to as gold panning. In recent years, gold panning has taken on a different form from that described in numerous scientific publications. This article describes and analyzes the transformations in the activity, based on data collected at the Tangonie site in the Boni commune of Burkina Faso. It relies primarily on secondary and field data. The data were collected between January and March 2020. Data processing and analysis reveal a trend towards gold scarcity at the site. Transformations mainly concern the use of chemicals and the role of women in gold panning. In the past, one kilogram of cyanide was used per cyanidation basin, but nowadays, gold miners use up to three kilograms of cyanide. Furthermore, mercury is used by some gold miners during ore grinding. Women no longer own the gold-processing sheds on the site, and their role has become the same as that of men. They now fetch gold ore from the extraction sites and process it in the same way as the men.