M.anifest reflects on galamsey’s devastation 11 years after ‘No Shortcut to Heaven’

Ghanaian rapper, M.anifest has highlighted the devastating impact of illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) on Ghana’s environment.

He said this while reflecting on his visit to one of the affected sites 11 years ago while shooting the video for his song “No Shortcut to Heaven.”

Appearing on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, the rapper noted that Galamsey was already a significant issue at the time, but many Ghanaians are only now coming to terms with its full effects.

‘As a musician, you need to be a keen observer of your society, Galamsey did not start recently’, he remarked.

According to him, his keen observation had enabled him to relay messages that mirror society, which he applauded all musicians for being keen observers through storytelling in their music.

Speaking on the harsh conditions workers of illegal mining sites face, he said, “I couldn’t stand it that day because  I experienced what it felt like in just a day and couldn’t even take it.”

The rapper also shed light on the difficulties he faced in the shooting of the video.

He revealed that getting the location of an actual ‘galamsey’ site was not an easy task, as his management had to finesse their way through because of the concealed illegal activities happening there.