When Silence is Golden follows the film’s director in her quest to lift the silence on the gold mining activities of a Canadian mining company near a small town in Western Ghana. Through her journey, we meet the inhabitants of this town who, despite efforts by the government to silence them, cannot hide their anger and are eager to express their grievances. In seeking to explain this complex situation, the film comes face to face with the human rights implications of gold mining operations in Africa—intimidation by soldiers policing the towns to suppress growing tensions, severe contamination of water sources and the possible resettlement of these communities. This is a film about the struggles of ordinary people who want their voices to be heard; a portrait of a battle that many may consider as already lost.

The film centers around a community in Western Ghana: Dumasi. The small town is affected by the surface mining activities of a Canadian company, Golden Star Resources (GSR), registered locally as Bogoso Gold Limited. Because of the company’s activities, two cyanide spillages contaminated the village’s main source of water, the Apepre stream. The company provides a standpipe for the community,but the water is also non-potable as chemical reaction occurs when a plantain is dipped into it,

turning the water blue-black. Tensions have increased in the past few years as the communities have expressed their anger through demonstrations. The government has sent soldiers to the area, in part to control illegal mining activities in the Western region—the army is seemingly there to protect the interests of the company.

There is Dei and Joanna Nkrumah, father and daughter, who despite being farmers have also become grassroots activists; Nana and Margaret Ofouri, and their 9 children, whose farm was burnt down by the military. All characters deal withthe situation differently: whether by getting involved in a civil society organisation, participating in local politics, brandishing a machete while calling for a civil war, or by silently reflecting on the growing tensions. But in their own different ways, they are all expressing their anger and frustration, hoping for change.  As the film progresses, we learn that the company hopes to resettle the Dumasi community. Although unified in their protests, the different characters are divided on the issue of resettlement, creating unexpected tensions—some hope to find a better life on new lands while others do not want to give up their heritage.

Through the characters’ pursuit for answers that they never get, larger questions are reflected upon. In 2007, Ghana celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence. The Governor General of Canada makes an official visit to Ghana, stressing Canada’s important relationship to this West African country.

Canada solidifies its commitment in development aid to the West African country while ignoring the plight caused by Canadian mining activities. Moreover, Canadians’ pension plans are being invested on the Toronto Stock Exchange through, among others, shares of Golden Star Resources (GRS). The film travels between Canada and Ghana,and questions to what extent Canadian trade and aid policies are coherent with Canada’s proclaimed commitment to promoting democratic governance and human rights in Africa--what are Canada and Ghana’s responsibilities towards communities affected by Canadian mining interests?

This film is not about poor Africans dying. This film will try to set itself away from the stereotypical African story, where Africans abandon their fate to greater powers. This film is about the resilience of these communities—how people brought to the brink of despair keep on fighting, expressing their anger and trying to do whatever they can to ensure themselves a better future. The characters are people who have been let down by their own government, where soldiers whose salary they pay are brought against them. All the characters are poor, relatively uneducated but eloquent about their grievances and their basic needs. And perhaps most importantly, this is a story that can happen anywhere, in Canada or Africa— a story that shows that we can all find incredible strength within ourselves at the worst times in our lives. 

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