Grammy-nominated artiste and United Nations Ambassador, Rocky Dawuni, has made a plea to Ghanaians to take immediate action against the destructive practice of illegal mining, known as galamsey. In an interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz, Rocky Dawuni expressed concern about the devastating impact of galamsey on the country’s natural resources.
“Imagine the value of water, and we are destroying all our water bodies because of an immediate acquisition of wealth. It is such a curse, and we need to rise as a people and make sure that we focus on this galamsey,” he noted. Rocky Dawuni also highlighted the global concern surrounding the issue, noting that he is often approached by representatives from other countries seeking answers.
“It’s crazy because as an ambassador for the environment, for the United Nations, for Africa, you can imagine I go to all these conferences, and people just walk up to me from different countries and ask, ‘What is going on?’ And I tell them, ‘I don’t know. I have no words to explain.'”
The reggae icon emphasized the long-term environmental and health consequences of galamsey, warning of the lasting damage being caused. “So to all my people, let’s stand up and stop this because it’s robbing our future. It’s destroying our livelihood. It’s putting cyanide, mercury, all these heavy metals into our food chain, and then all of that is going into our waterways.”
Rocky Dawuni stressed the urgent need for action, warning of the harmful effects of toxic substances infiltrating the water supply. “Imagine that when you open your tap and you drink some of this stuff that is in the rivers, we are connected to the rivers ourselves. We are part of this whole network of life.”
His call to action aligns with those of other prominent figures, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which has threatened to hold demonstrations and a nationwide strike if the government does not take decisive action against illegal mining by the end of September.
