Mariusz Śmiejek about the book “Galamsey” | Meeting

“Galamsey” is the result of seven years of research and work on a project in which Mariusz Śmiejek photographed communities associated with informal gold mining in Ghana, the country that is the largest gold producer in Africa, between 2019 and 2022 and 2026. The photographs were taken at more than forty locations in four regions of Ghana. The author documented the daily life of miners and their families, women and children working near the mine, as well as the landscape transformed by mining. At the same time, he looked at a system in which the wealth of natural resources does not translate into the safety and well-being of local communities.

During the meeting, Mariusz Śmiejek will talk about the work on the project, its beginnings related to documenting migration from Africa to Europe and about the meetings and experiences that gradually shaped the photographic narrative of “Galamsey”. The presentation will be accompanied by photographs and film materials made while working in the field.

The meeting will also be an opportunity to talk about documentary photography, the responsibility of the photographer working with marginalized communities, and how the photo book can become a tool for storytelling complex social problems and global dependencies.

“Galamsey” was released in 2026 as an independent publication in a circulation of 500 copies. The book received support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the National Lottery and was honoured in the International Photography Awards 2026 in the Professional Photography Book category. The material for the book was created in cooperation with National Geographic Polska magazine, where it was published in 2025. The photographs published in the book have also won awards and distinctions in the Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize created by David Clark Cause in partnership with United Nations Human in the USA, National Geographic Magazine in Poland and Human Impact Awards in the UK.

Conducting:

Mariusz Śmiejek — independent documentary photographer and educator. Since 2010, she has been working on long-term projects dedicated to people and communities outside the mainstream media. His work has been published by The New York Times, National Geographic, British Journal of Photography, Der Spiegel, Politico, Die Welt, Pismo and Large Format, among others.

Important information:

• Adult event

• Place: MUFo Rakowicka, 22A Rakowicka Street

• Price: 5 PLN

• Duration: approx. 1.5 hours

• Number of participants: 25

• Reservations through the online reservation system: bilety.mufo.krakow.pl, by e-mail at bilety@mufo.pl and by phone number 12 3957042 ext. 1226. Telephone reservation is possible from Tuesday to Sunday during the opening hours of the Museum.