Abstract
There is rising interest in connecting global value chains with sites of extraction to ensure that mineral resources, wherever extracted, are governed to benefit communities. Despite commitments by policymakers and African intergovernmental bodies to governance that does not disenfranchise communities, voices of those affected remain peripheral to mining industry operations. In this article we ask how the extraction of black granite used in grand buildings in the West is experienced by mine-affected people in Zimbabwe's Mutoko District. We seek to bring forth voices of those affected by mineral extraction including its governance processes, to produce an account of mining anthropology rooted in Habermas's lifeworld concept. We show how communities continue to shoulder multiple burdens of black granite extraction without getting its rewards: Broken bridges, damaged roads, dirty air, hazardous living environments and loss of land are some of the key experiences. And the current governance regime characterised by outdated laws, dishonesty, and intimidation of the governed allows the burdens of black granite mining to perpetuate. In conclusion, we note how the marginalised lifeworld contains knowledge, capacity and experiences that must be fully accounted for in reshaping the governance of extraction for the benefit of mine-side communities.
Highlights
Zimbabwean black granite has been noted worldwide for its quality, and the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen is one of the grand public buildings constructed using this material
Black granite mining in Mutoko District has for some time been a contentious affair due to the unequal distribution of the derived benefits, the environmental costs which mainly affect mine-side communities, and the way its extraction is governed
By presenting how governance is experienced by local communities, we hope to locate the voices of the marginalised situated in their lifeworlds, possibly provoking new con versations from the bottom-up, and contributing to demarginalization processes necessary for local people whose lives are intertwined with mineral resources
Summary
Zimbabwean black granite has been noted worldwide for its quality, and the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen is one of the grand public buildings constructed using this material. Black granite mining in Mutoko District has for some time been a contentious affair due to the unequal distribution of the derived benefits, the environmental costs which mainly affect mine-side communities, and the way its extraction is governed. Local communities affected by mineral extraction across Zimbabwe, are characterised by poor public infrastructure, dis turbances to livelihoods and resultantly high poverty rates (Gamu et al, 2015). We explore theoretical perspectives on how to understand governance from below, followed by a brief contextual section Following this we present three empirical sections before, a conclusion on how voices from below may reanimate extrac tion away from the present unequal ecological exchanges
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call