TITLE: BANTACO GOLD THE DUST OF MISFORTUNE

April 2024, 45°C in the shade. Buckets full of stones are hoisted to the surface. A booty loaded with gold that had to be extracted from a depth of 200 metres. Ten years ago, 15 metres was enough, but the Bantaco miners have not stopped digging since. Only the rainy season stops their dusty activities. But the river continues to carry mercury, and the children leave school at the age of 10. The fate of these miners, who have come from far and wide to earn their living, is a terrible one. As bruised bodies, lung problems and anonymous illnesses multiply, this toxic region is now joined by Chinese industrialists caught up in the same fever.

AUTHOR: Antoine Merlet (France)

As a freelance photojournalist, I work for the national and international press. Aged 35, I've been taking photographs since the age of 18. After giving sports lessons for five years following my studies, I gradually moved towards more or less long-term photographic reporting. My work is increasingly focused on social struggles. I exhibited at the Rencontres internationales de la photographie d'Arles in 2017 and recently at the Visa Pour l'image festival as part of the screenings. I also work for editorial departments such as M Le Monde, Télérama, Le Figaro, Libération, La Croix, Géo, Bild, etc. As part of the 2020 political photography competition, one of my photos was exhibited at the Vu gallery in Paris.

Since September 2022, I have been a member of the Europe desk at The New York Times and have joined the ZEPPELIN agency.