{"id":430888,"date":"2017-10-21T14:35:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-21T14:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/10\/21\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\/"},"modified":"2017-10-21T14:35:19","modified_gmt":"2017-10-21T14:35:19","slug":"a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/21\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\/","title":{"rendered":"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"medsection1\">\n<!-- End of html generated by this->header() --><\/p>\n<p class=\"floatLeft\">Movies of Saturday, 21 October 2017<\/p>\n<p class=\"floatRight\"><strong>Source: <\/strong>Cameron Duodu<\/p>\n<p>2017-10-21<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-left\">\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/55161079.295.jpg\" alt=\"The Oscars Ghana\" title=\"The Oscars Ghana\" width=\"295\" height=\"166\" \/><span class=\"image_caption\"><span>Oscar<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"noPrint\">\n<div id=\"537626303\" style=\"width:300;height:250;margin:0;padding:0\">\n\t\t  <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" name=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" src=\"http:\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/afr?auid=537626303&amp;cb=149916385179598\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\"><a href=\"\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/rc?cs=b2ad7fa7fd&amp;cb=149916385179598\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1508596519_864_ai\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"clear:right\"> Mention the word, \u201cOscar\u201d and the blood rushes to the head of film-makers. It is the highest accolade in the cinema industry and is usually cornered by the inhabitants of the world\u2019s most famous cinema city \u2013 Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p>So when a foreigner wins an Oscar it is big news. When that foreigner happens to be a student, it is even bigger news.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, it is only the student versions of the Oscar that this foreigner won, but hey \u2013 it is an \u201cOscar\u201d, nevertheless. More interesting still for us in Ghana is the fact that the German student won his \u201cOscar\u201d with a film entitled \u2018Galamsey\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, the word galamsey has not only been absorbed into the English language here in Ghana but has now crossed borders and been catapulted to the very pinnacle of the cinema world \u2013 at least, where artistic genius is valued more than commercial pulling power; what is known as \u201cbox-office\u201d appeal.<\/p>\n<p>The film, \u2018Galamsey\u2019 was shot by film-maker Johannes Preuss in Ghana and looks at the illegal gold trade here. He minces no words in recognising that galamsey could \u201cturn Ghana into a hell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is an interview conducted by the German TV station, DW [Deutsch Welle] with Preuss:<\/p>\n<p>(INTERVIEW BEGINS)<\/p>\n<p>DW: What is the meaning behind the title \u201cGalamsey\u201c?<\/p>\n<p>Johannes Preuss: The word comes from Ghanaian Pidgin [English] and combines the words for \u201cgather\u201d and \u201csell\u201d. That\u2019s how people in Ghana refer to this illegal gold mining. It\u2019s an umbrella term for small-scale mining.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 As a student in Germany, how were you made aware of the subject of illegal gold mining in Ghana?<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 In 2010, I went to Ghana with the German Development Aid Agency and worked there for a citizen radio channel. That was in the middle of the Galamsey region; the city was located directly on one of Ghana\u2019s major rivers. I was there when the boom was taking place and as a journalist, I found it a really interesting subject. There were so many facets to look at: the catastrophic consequences on the environment, how it has changed people. And when I had the chance to film my first movie while at the film academy [in Germany], I thought it was a good time to focus on the topic.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 One of the people interviewed in your film says, \u201cIf we don\u2019t watch out, Ghana will turn into a hell.\u201d What does that hell look like?<\/p>\n<p>Hell looks like a huge crater landscape. Because they cannot dig in rivers, gold mining companies keep digging holes in the earth. They throw water into those holes to extract the gold and keep doing that as long as it\u2019s profitable. But no one covers their holes up when they\u2019re done. That\u2019s why the whole country looks like a lunar landscape. \u2013 Gold is \u2013 along with cocoa \u2013 Ghana\u2019s main export. Who profits from this business?<\/p>\n<p>Multinational corporations retain the main share in the gold industry. Symptomatically, there are no refineries in the country. Gold is refined in Switzerland. Profits go to western countries; hardly anything is left in Ghana. Small businesses only survive as long as they manage to pay [for] the fuel [used by] their excavators. And then there are the illegal gold miners. At the beginning it was the Chinese who brought the necessary technical equipment into Ghana. They were officially thrown out of the country in 2013, but many remained nevertheless. Now the gold business involves a multitude of poor workers from different countries. How does the government deal with Galamsey? \u2013 This is currently a huge issue. They have declared war on illegal gold mining. The current government is trying to fight against gold mining on their own initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Can the damage on the environment be repaired? Mercury [ONCE USED] CANNOT BE RETRIEVED FROM THE RIVERS! When gold miners sift and wash river sand, they use mercury that amalgamates with the gold, making it easier to retrieve it from the sand. The mercury that\u2019s then combined with the gold particles is burned and the remaining liquid mercury is [thrown into or] eliminated in [the] rivers. Statistics claim that a third of all mercury found in the Ghana] eco-system is from small-scale gold miners. \u2013 Was it difficult for you as a foreign film-maker to gain access to these miners?<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Actually, I wanted to get in touch with the large mining companies, who are the main culprits in the country, but that was impossible. As soon as they\u2019d find out that I had a camera with me, they wouldn\u2019t allow me to enter anywhere. Illegal gold miners were my only remaining option. INTERVEW ENDS<\/p>\n<p>Preuss won in the category of \u201cBest International Documentary\u201d.  Preuss, a student at the Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg Film Academy in Ludwigsburg, was the sole nomination in his category. His film \u2018Galamsey\u2019 investigates the lives of illegal gold diggers in Ghana. .<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[The film] was definitely not an easy project,\u201d Preuss said. \u201cThe Oscar is a huge recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Hollywood Academy Student Awards were instituted in 1972 with a goal \u201cto support and encourage excellence in film-making at the collegiate level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a disturbing report issued just ahead of UN World Day Against Child Labour says the exposure of child gold miners in Ghana to life-threatening risks is encouraged by inadequate checks along the supply line.<\/p>\n<p>The report, produced by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that most mining in Ghana takes place in unlicensed, artisan al or small scale mines, where thousands of children have to carry heavy loads of ore, breath in a lot of dust and a result cough up blood, or develop other respiratory health problems.<\/p>\n<p>The child miners are also exposed to mercury poisoning because they have to process the ore with the toxic substance, risking brain damage and life-long disability. Most of the children are aged between 15 and 17.<\/p>\n<p>Lead HRW researcher Julian Kippenberg told reporters about some of the dangers the children face. \u201cThere was a case about two years ago where a boy worked in such mines. He has been working for a while, he is an orphan, living with his aunt. Early one morning, he went to work and basically the walls of the pit caved in and buried him alive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- uploaded by: 24 updated by: -1 --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Start of html generated by this->footer() -->\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style=\"display:none\" rel=\"follow\" href=\"http:\/\/megatheme.ir\/\" title=\"\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633\">\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Movies of Saturday, 21 October 2017 Source: Cameron Duodu 2017-10-21 Oscar &#13; Mention the word, \u201cOscar\u201d and the blood rushes to the head of film-makers. It is the highest accolade in the cinema industry and is usually cornered by the inhabitants of the world\u2019s most famous cinema city \u2013 Hollywood. So when a foreigner wins [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":427678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019! - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/21\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019! - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Movies of Saturday, 21 October 2017 Source: Cameron Duodu 2017-10-21 Oscar &#013; Mention the word, \u201cOscar\u201d and the blood rushes to the head of film-makers. It is the highest accolade in the cinema industry and is usually cornered by the inhabitants of the world\u2019s most famous cinema city \u2013 Hollywood. So when a foreigner wins [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019!\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-21T14:35:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1063,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/\",\"name\":\"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019! - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-21T14:35:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/21\\\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019! - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/21\/a-german-students-film-on-galamsey-has-won-an-oscar\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"A German student\u2019s film on galamsey has won an \u2018Oscar\u2019! - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"Movies of Saturday, 21 October 2017 Source: Cameron Duodu 2017-10-21 Oscar &#13; Mention the word, \u201cOscar\u201d and the blood rushes to the head of film-makers. It is the highest accolade in the cinema industry and is usually cornered by the inhabitants of the world\u2019s most famous cinema city \u2013 Hollywood. 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