The true cost of gold - Lyla Latif
Dig into how foreign corporations exploit African nations like Mali for their gold mining, and often rob them of proper compensation.
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In 2020, Mali produced over 71 tons of gold- an amount worth billions of dollars. But Mali saw only $850 million dollars from that gold. And this situation isn’t unique: a number of other gold-rich countries in Africa aren’t seeing the income they should given the price of gold. So, what’s going on? Lyla Latif digs into how foreign corporations exploit African nations for their resources.
Lesson by Lyla Latif, directed by Jeffig Le Bars, JetPropulsion.space
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/the-true-c...
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Animator's website: jetpropulsion.space
Composer website: / aim-music
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As Michael Parenti said about Africa: “Poor countries are not 'under-developed', they are over-exploited.”
succinct
Sadly this is true
When Will African demands more from their government?! When will it end?!!!!
@@JP-br4mx they’ve been demanding more from their government for decades, sadly this contributes to the cycle, with “peoples” governments rising up and then falling to corruption.
@@thoumotherdearest9041 no, the problem is that African leaders are weak, easily corrupted. Not surprising that many great African leaders are systematically eliminated by the west
it's mind blowing how good their animations can be, not just 1 good style but very different style every time
They use several animators to accomplish this :)
Global Village is at the cross road of making a hard choice of Unipolar Western DemonsCrazy and Free (to loot) Market Economy or Multipolar power distribution, because since 1953 over throwing of Dr Mosadeg of Iran to date World has had up to the eyeball the Kosharization via complex legal & linguistic Jargons that neither the Lawyers noe Business owners can ever decipher
🤦🏿♀️
I really like this one, reminds me of the game lode runner
it’s because they outsource their work
Most of westerns don't know the mains reasons behind african countries being underdeveloped and its people living under poverty line. Really appreciate this video for showing at least a fraction of the truth.
Because all the profit are taken by Western nations....
Africa will prosper when it’s people start demanding more from their leaders and start holding them accountable.
I don’t see how westerners are responsible for Africas corrupt politicians? Africa needs to have higher standards for its politicians which is obviously way easier said than done.
@@DrummerJay74 I don't see where you read that I'm holding westerns accountable for what happens in Africa ? Although their ancestors are for sure... But anyways I'm just saying the majority don't have a clue about it
@@JP-br4mx true, self reflection and good gov & industry is crucial for a nation development. There plenty of example of ruined countries who now becomes better after world war 2, like south korea, japan, china etc.
the way that pretty much the entire continent of Africa is filled with so much incredible inherent beauty and richness and yet has been so consistently, disgustingly exploited for so long is pretty infuriating. :( especially because it seems like there isn’t much a common citizen/individual person can do about it.
African leaders are to blame. So many of them are corrupted and cares very little about their own people. Of course, that can be explained through colonisation and the west consistently assasinating capable African leaders but the people are so weak!!!!!!
Very good
@@YojhanSerna Very Bad
Historically it never mattered what common folk thought
True
Reading the comments it almost feels like a lot of people didn't hear the narrator. You can compliment the animation and still say something about the exploitation
Exploitation
Agreed,.. im amazed with both animation and the sad truth 😔
I find it especially alienating since I felt like the animation was a metaphor, as in at that point of exploitation it isn’t even about your own prosperity anymore but more like a game to these people
Legit! I’m shocked about the video and was hoping to see some discourse about it but everyone is just talking about the animation
its funny that this is one of the first teded vídeos i see it happening too.
So sad to hear this about Africa. I'm from Mongolia, and our country is also subject to coal and other mineral exploitations. Thank you TED-Ed for shining this truth about third world countries.
Stand up, protest, march organized. Stop complaining about it
Hello fellow Mongolian
@@JP-br4mx protesting is about literally complaining about it
@@Serialasked look can we just kiss
This video had me so indulged that the 5 minutes passed and I didn't even know. Amazing content. African people really are exploited beyond imagination 😞
not all people though
Oh look, a comment not about praising the animation but about the actual story. Amazing!
They are by their government then you have the Russians with mercenaries like Wagner group that obey no law killing civilians in Mali then you have the terrorists that the Malian government asked help from France so since 2015 or so there is fighting between French forces trying to push the terrorists away while being seen as the bad colonist when they are there to avoid Mali becoming like Afghanistan, and the Russian mercenaries killing civilians and selling weapons to the terrorist to destabilize Mali and the French forces.
At least this video isn't just anti white statements
@@HIFLY01 but it begins with white people if you know what i mean xd
I'm African. About the poverty line thing. In my country, when I'd watch U.S shows and competitions and hear the budgets people who "struggle" use in a day, it would cover your costs for several months to come. For example, USA's minimum wage is about $7 with some states having it as high as $15 PER HOUR. In our country, there's no set minimum wage, but on average, unskilled labour(like waiters, house helps etc) gets paid $70 A MONTH! That's less than a full course meal for a person at a Michelin Starred restaurant. And considering how different "labour" is in our countries, with very limited machinery making work even harder. Just a plain for-eg, I first saw an Oven when I was 15 years old at a Supermarket. USA's below-poverty-line is $35 a day. Here...that's what is used to estimate an entire MONTH! Anyway... Historically speaking, most "undeveloped countries" got screwed after and with how colonialists left us. So yeah, the difference is huge. We even joke about how "Westerners" bathe with money.
Sounds like I’ll be on the first flight to the US
@@mr.minnesoulja1257 well, that's what Elon did.
Why are Africans so weak?! When will you stand up for yourselves
@@JP-br4mx what country are you from?
@@jordansifunablog I’m Haitian-American
Thank you! Finally a big platform is talking about the exploitation that happens in Africa. We’ve been exploited for too long now
Maybe your people should stop being corrupt...
@@robm2681 do you hear yourself??🙄🙄
Corruption in one's government is the main factor here. They could pass new laws to prevent or minimize this exploitation, but of course the pockets of corrupt officials are bottomless. This most likely happens with any kind of mining, not just gold.
But in video, they said, if they do so, the minimum tax that is coming from them also gone
Because white imperialism
This video actually made me feel sick. The greed and exploitation is unbelievable.
Welcome to the real world!
What about the stupidity of African policies??? Why is it not their fault?
The number of people talking about the animation style and not the message about Africa's exploitation tells you all you need to know about how much the world cares about Africa and its people.
True
Africans need to stand up for themselves first before they expect the world to. Honestly, I’ve never met such weak people
Then talk about the exploitation and encourage a dialogue with others about it. No one is stopping you .
@@hamanu666 I did, and here you are. Dialogue and all 😂
I thought this kind of exploitation used to happen in olden times (when European countries ruled other countries) but it still happens and it's so sad! :(
It can be argued the exploitation is worse today since it is kind of legalized to a certain extent. The colonial era was bad for Africa but the poor accountability of the modern African official has proven to be in most cases far worse than that of the colonial regimes. The oppressed fought for freedom, attained it and then became the new oppressors of their own people.
It's not really about the plague of Europe, but inherent nature of greed in the hearty of man
Problem is, corporations like bullion companies, buy directly from the miners since they have an already market established, then you buy from the bullion companies instead of you buying gold directly from the miners. There is money lost in the process leaving people being underpaid. For example we sell 1oz at USD 1090 while market price today is at USD1804 depending on quantity. If you could support miners instead of these corporations, will Africa be poor?
@@chinuamining6794 they would still be poor, because of inherent big corruption, and I've seen inherent corruption in my country too that even if outsiders pay big, it won't be distributed to the lower ranks.
Africa is the richest and poorest continent at the same time, insane resources but high corruption
Because white imperialism
Same here in Arizona. We're the Copper State, but only to profit foreign mining companies. Fools we are.
Excellent presentation. This needs to be translated in to French so it can be sent to friends in Mali in order for them to understand what's going on.
This was depressing to learn about. The other comment saying no country is underdeveloped, just overexploited gave me chills. If humanity can't get off of capitalism (or just capitalism in its current state), we are doomed for sure.
I never, at once, doubted clicking on the subscribe button a few years back. ❤ TED-Ed people, you are a gem. Please be a voice to the silenced.
This portrays the need for strong regulation and autonomy
I thought that democracy was supposed to solve all of these problems.
What they need is to remove corrupt officials in their government.
@@johnlucas6683 the governments are built to facilitate corruption and imperialism, the corruption is a feature not a bug. Only expropriation, and the removal of capitalists power can the people of these countries secure a just future for themselves
In love with the most amazing channel on KZhead :) this information is gold, I always used to think how the golds and diamonds are dug, no winder they are being dug on huge corruption.
The narrations are so captivating, pleasure for the mind and ears
If natural resources belong to anyone it should be the people and not a corrupt elite.
Resources aren't belong to ordinary people. If it was a case then I could go and pump some oil but guess what... it's illegal! Well, in some countries at least. I can't monitor situation in a whole world obviously.
"There are no poor countries, only over exploited ones" Michael Parenti
Omg !!! Hats off to the animation and narration Everything is mind blowing!
Great video! Please do an indepth look at the colorado river catastrophe. Would love to see some information on this
I really feel that the question "what is gold really worth?" Did not get answered. It was more of a talking point about bad business practices and a struggling country.
I think it's a rethoric question not mathematical....therefore the answer is "millions of people lives". Most of the gold we use today causes the death of millions. How do we put a price tag on that?
These are actually great business practices. Businesses want more business. It's terrible governance on the part of Africans. They're all corrupt. It's not up to the rest of the world to govern Africa.
I thought this was going to be about how much gold should actually be worth, based on its applications, not the demand for it as "money"/investment/whatever. If it was only used as a conductor, like copper, what would it be worth?
I thought it was going to be about how much it costs, given lower wages corruption etc, to dig the gold out of the ground and export it. Like those videos that say an iPhone only costs 20 dollars to make or whatever
@@Mehwhatevr Interesting, that also would have been a good topic.
The art style helps convey this difficult message well
People are greedy? I never could have guessed.
I can never describe how much i love this channel, thank you for everything 😭❤️
This is a creative and amazing way to tell a story. Appreciate the effort and the concept 👍
Its reality tho
At first I wasn't keen on the video game aesthetic, but the Civ II look at the end really hit home.
Thanks for the video
I must say TED-Ed never runs out of animation styles ✨
And westerners don't run out of greed and exploitation, right?
🤦🏿♂️
im speechless how ted-ed present these videos with research and animation. It is really helpful for us to learn new things daily
Thank you for informing
I love how you change your animation style every video
This sounds almost similar to what happens to oil and natural gas found in one country but are too poor or do not have the resources to extract them.
Inhabiting an area is not the same thing as having control over an area.
@@DegreesOfThree Like a host with parasites
Amazing animation and explanation
thank you for video
Looking the 8-bit animation and seeing a number of people information cards remind me of the game: "Papers, Please". Each episode's animation is fascinating !!!
Man, the animation is so playfully good at delivering the content. Wish I could see how the production process of this art being done.
I love all of your videos but this one set the bar even higher! Riveting topic, excellent animation, interesting angle of telling the story.
I love the RTS illustrations in this...
Thanks for such grand video
Instead of taxation based on profits, they should tax it based on the amount produced. That will close a lot of the loopholes.
The perpetrator of the crimes here have the upper hand above government so you can only hope for the developed country to disciplined their international corporation
"If gold is confused with wealth. Then the priority is to discover gold mines, over finding ways to grow more food or water etc. Same thing with the paper in our system."
Totally. And they failed to explain why central banks around the world send out paper money but guard gold with their military forces.
I really like that quote. Could you please provide an author or a source?
Who is the quote by?
I would love to know the author of the quote too, just replying to get the notif when it arrives
By paper do you mean paper money?
I watch these videos till end cuz ads are the only way I can contribute to this channel.
My goodness the animation is just too good!
"There's no way for Malis revenue authority to verify this information" Okay... so how did you?
Guesstimates
It makes me cry that they are exploiting such poor nations. 😭😭
They couldn't exploit those nations if only the government is not corrupt but unfortunately they all just thinking of their self rather than the people.
@@cripplingdepression213 i see, It's a double trap and the Victim are the people in each case. Am I right ?
@@ahut13 :(
The leaders of these poor nations are exploiting their countries. Everyone else is just going along with them.
blame your government lmao
Thank you very much
One day we shall rise And we shall be remembered for an eternity 💪🏾
If only the governments of these countries have the spine to stand up to these multi-national corporations and properly invest the taxes paid then these African counties would've been a rich by now. It's so sad seeing a continent with abundant resources being exploited by other countries. Those exploitations could've been invested towards health care and infrastructure-which most african countries in dire need of.
Lmao you stand up and say you want to enact change and put the continent on a gold backed currency to stop the abuse and you get killed my friend going against the petro dollar usually means war and if they can't win then nukes and point the finger at whoever is in charge. The whole world is a victim to European monarchs even Europeans they just don't mind it cause Europe has had a scapegoat for ages now
Bet the politicians got corrupt & bribed as well 😌
The sad truth is they don't have much incentive to invest in the wellbeing of their citizens if their wealth comes from foreign companies (and impoverished, powerless locals) digging it out of the ground.
Something about the game mechanic style helps me understanding more of how awful this taxes evasion really is. I feel really sad for Africa.
very informative.
Amazing visualization
Same thing happening to oil rich African countries
Top notch animation
Reminds me of when I first started doing gig work. I'd get clients asking for "samples" of work that amounted to the bulk of what they needed in the first place.
Up there among Ted Ed's best videos
Hey there! If you like the animation, check out the animator's website : jetpropulsion.space/
If I had a dollar for everytime I hear “they aren’t getting the income they should” followed by “because greedy corporations” I would ha d enough to become a member of the bourgeoisie
Such a proletariat thing to say. 🤪
I don't see that trend stopping anytime soon.
TED Ed is biased. And students use it to learn.
OMG!... First, Kudos TED-Ed the animation is mind-boggling and unlocked so many memories I had when we played video games in my childhood, I clicked the video thinking I would learn about the history of gold, why humans are obsessed with it and why it is valuable in the first place....But, I got to know about things that I've not even heard of. A classic example of crony capitalism is well portrayed here.
Mind-blowing
Mind blowing animations and very interesting
"Guinea" is pronounced "Gin-nee" with a hard g. Not "Gin-nee-a". Good grief.
In English, yes. Not in most other languages
@@erik2602 The video was in English.
@@davidmurphy563 Maybe she was trying to stay closer to its original pronounciation. Maybe the narrator isn't a native English speaker. I don't know
@@erik2602 What are you talking about? It's pronounced Gin-nee in any relevant language. From Google --> 'The English "Guinea" is derived from the Portuguese word "Guiné" which originated during the mid-15th century. The word Guinea was used to refer to the lands owned by the Guineus, which was a collective term for the African people who came from regions south of the Senegal River.'
@@erik2602 Nah, Guinea is French speaking, which is "gin-ney" with a very soft g. That's why we pronounce it like that, close to the original and nothing like "gin-nia" or whatever she said. They just messed up.
I hope justice be served on a gold platter one day
Why don't these corrupt officials get arrested? After all, corruption is a crime and they should all go to prison for what they're doing.
2:34 I was wondering why the sounds familiar, then I recall that's how movie companies avoid paying cast members who wanted to share profits
Blood gold, the true price of gold.
It's crazy how these developing countries are being exploited by developed ones and after some years they will run out of the only things they have, natural resources. And there is no one to raise voice against such practices.
isn't surprising tbh.
It's the fault of the corrupt leaders. There's no law you can pass banning lopsided contracts, you have to elect leaders that care more about their country than their personal fortune
@@fyukfy2366 sure! let's blame it on the corrupt leaders. better yet, let's blame it on the people that voted those leaders!
Whoa! Awesome animation!! 👍👍
Isn't another true value of gold like diamonds, it doesn't have real value until it's cleaned, purified, and made into a currency (bars or coins). Like diamonds are worth more until they are polished and cut, then sold by a jewellery business.
No, Gold is actually rare and valuable even raw unlike diamonds which can be made synthetically and are not rare when impure/uncut
Gold dust is worth less than a gold coin. Because it has more value to an individual, even if it's rare.
Are our countries underdeveloped or overexploited? - I wasn't so sure after reading Parenti, but the evidence I've come across seems to be building on the latter
This is exactly what's happening in my country Sudan!
Your country should learn how to form a government. Lol.
...and my state of Arizona.
loved the animation!
The Style reminds me of the Dune DOS / Dune 2000 game
It's a cruel world we live in.
Especially in Africa
The world isn't; People are!
Cost is understandable. What is the exact value of gold?
Well, you can't consume it, you don't need it to live, is only useful for electric circuits are far beyond my needs so i would say $0
@@TunaBear64 Every computer on the market uses gold as a conductor and the presence of your comment tells me your use of them is not beyond your needs, so I would say gold has at least some value to you, as it does for everyone who has access to the internet.
@@CharlieQuartz But only to improve their performance, I'm ok with an old one.
@@TunaBear64 I’m pretty sure older computers have more gold not less, due to less efficient plating processes. You’d have to go out of your way to find a copper alternative which wouldn’t last nearly as long.
It's not just electrical appliances. A lot of its value also comes from its cultural significance. It is social ettiquette in countries like India for families to pass on gold jewelry and items as part of the inheritance. Places of religious significance are constructed out of gold to highlight their importance. It is considered an elevation of status to be in possession of extensive quantities of gold.
Though the video is especially good, it's the message that really bothers me. These corporations are sick and are beyond the nature of humanity. And it's more sickening to think IF, the leaders in position also used their influences to help these corporations. Reminds me of the whole chapter of 1 Timothy 6
so what can we (as individuals or small groups) can we do to improve the situation?
Without mentioning the brutal exploitation by US, UK and France, this video is incomplete.
And Canada, which owns an overwhelming majority of mining companies worldwide
@@Xloi63 Generally West became 'West' through this brutal exploitation and legacy of colonialism. And now they are lecturing the global south. Btw, can you please give me further information about Canada's mining business. Thank you.
@@edwinjoy3932 I would also really recommend 'Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism' if you are looking to understand why this type of foreign exploitation is not just a by-product of the global economic system, but an inevitability that can't just be explained by the usual excuses of 'corruption' and 'greed'. The nature of capitalism itself explains why colonial expansion and economic imperialism happens. kzhead.info/sun/Zth8qq55lmt7rIk/bejne.html
It's worth adding the UAE, since it's one of the largest (if not the largest) trading hubs for African-sourced unrefined gold
Where is her accent from? I've never heard sub-SID-ee-air-ee pronounced the way she did it. I'm always curious about regional pronunciations...even though many of them drive me nuts.
You are a regional for somebody, think about that.
@@Max_Jacoby obviously, though mine is hard to nail down since I grew up watching the television and lived in a community with several ethnic accents added to the mix. Also, my parents have completely different regional accents. Mine is obviously American, but some words make me sound like I'm from the south and other the midwest. Just trying to figure out the region of the accent here.
"and then these exploiters will show gratitude by donating 0.00001% of what they exploit"
The animations are so cool.
The resources(Gold) from Africa has moved to UAE and that's why UAE has most tons of gold right now.
Problem is, corporations like bullion companies, buy directly from the miners since they have an already market established, then you buy from the bullion companies instead of you buying gold directly from the miners. There is money lost in the process leaving people being underpaid. For example we sell 1oz at USD 1090 while market price today is at USD1804 depending on quantity. If you could support miners instead of these corporations, will Africa be poor?
Should. Greed. Exploit. The narrative of this is very disturbing and makes it seem like the people of these countries are children who are unable to run their affairs.
wow..
Heartbreaking!
What a shame. I guess it only takes one honest company to give Mali a fair shake and then Mali would get a nice cut. The problem is none of these companies are honest from gold mining in Mali to Fracking in Pennsylvania the contracts are all exploitation and scam and you can't do anything about it unless you have the capital to start up your own mining/drilling company then your likely to get assassinated by someone's " Private security"
You're wrong. They're honest capitalists. Trying to maximize profits as much as possible. This is a capitalist's honest work.
@@romanski5811 jkust capitalists being capitalists eh. It's a disease
@@El-Burrito If you're cheating then you gain a competitive advantage and can thereby increase your profits more effectively.
@@romanski5811 But there's no cheating in capitalism since everything is honest work xd
That's more a problem with Mali's government being willing to accept terrible contracts, usually due to their leaders being corrupt. That's why these problems don't occur in most developed countries.
These videos never cease to amaze me, the animation and amount I can learn in 5 minutes is absolutely incredible, I love this channel and all schools should show these videos! I hope you guys reach 20 million subscribers soon!
It looks just like a game, I love it
Absolutely terrifying and thr animation is incredible
I really hope your animators are being paid well. :)
I'm finally early I guess.
Same
Yes
just want to point out how amazing the animation in this video
The rich get richer, the poor gets poorer
Mali should simply take over the mining operations and nationalize all the assets needed to mine the gold as a form of compensation for all the years of the companies screwing them.
That's when the CIA would organize a coup to overthrow that government and install a chosen Western corporate-friendly government.
that's what communist countries do and why they all break. Do that and every single company will feel insecure and leave the country before you know it, leaving behind millions of unemployed people. Good luck convincing investors to invest in your country after that. Not to mention sanctions that might come upon the country. On the other hand, get rid of the government and corruption magically disappears. Libertarianism is the key.
How's that working out in Venezuela?
That could solve the symptoms, not the actual problem that is corruption. Mali should be careful about becoming a new Venezuela
@@DegreesOfThree Venezuela refused to reinvest in its oil drilling operations and that's why their economy tanked, they didn't have the infrastructure to access the oil under their feet.
Great video, but the title is misleading. I was expecting to learn about how gold prices are determined, but turned out this was about gold corruption in Mali (which is horrible, of course, which brings us a question why TED-Ed didn't simply put How Mali Gold Is Really Mined or something).
I completely agree. They could've included the price determination for a few minutes before focusing on the exploitation of the industry in Mali
It depends what youre comparing it to
i agree with the previous statement. although i would like to say that it is saddening to that the world still has corrupt governments.
Corruption doesn't exist alone in governments. It is nurtured between governments and corporations at the same time.
@@nestoreleuteriopaivabendo5415 but if one wasn’t corrupt than the problem would be solved. Since the government is charged with serving the citizens of that country and they clearly serve themselves they are to blame.