I shared "Precious Mettle", your report on women gold miners in Kenya (Features, February 11-17), with a geologist friend of mine in Kenya, who has worked extensively in both West and East Africa. I quote his response below:
"Unfortunately it is the same sad story throughout Africa. I saw this in Burkina Faso, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia … The women tend to get the short end of the shovel and then get [exploited] by the fat-cat buyers, who arrive on site in their flashy cars, with their mirrored sunglasses and weighted scales...
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