Wacam activist wins May Day prize

Wacam has celebrated the award of John Alexander Osei, an activist in the responsible mining movement, at last Wednesday’s celebration of the National May Day Award.

Mr Osei was named among recipients of the 2013 National May Day Award ostensibly for contributing to the responsible mining movement by playing a pioneering role in mobilisation of members of communities impacted by mining activities.

He has also been the Chairman of the Executive Council of Wacam, a mining advocacy organisation in Ghana, from 1999 to date.

His prize was a double-door refrigerator accompanied by a citation. The citation, among other things, mentioned that “Brother J.A. Osei played a key role in the initial mobilisation of communities affected by the operations of multinational mining companies in the early 1990s with the aim of fighting for the protection of the environment and the rights of the affected communities.

“His efforts and that of other mining activists resulted in the formation of Wacam, a human rights and environmental mining advocacy NGO which had committed itself to the protection of the rights of mining communities for about two decades.”

In celebrating his award, Wacam has said: “In the spirit of the history of the founding members of May Day, it has become a tradition to honour trade unionists and activists who have defended the rights of working people at the peril of their lives at May Day celebrations,”

Wacam, which became an Associate member of the Trades Union Congress, Ghana (GTUC) in 2011, participated in the parade which marked the 2013 May Day celebration with placards some of which read; “We are against irresponsible mining”; “Stop mining in Forest Reserves”; “Mining is destroying our water bodies”; “Life is more precious than gold”; “Surface mining is destroying our environment”; “Gold mining is killing poor communities-save us Mr President”.

The 2013 National May Day was celebrated in Takoradi under the theme “Pension: It is your right and responsibility” as part of the worldwide celebration by workers in remembrance of some of the leaders of Chicago workers who were hanged for organising demonstrations, which started on 1^st May 1886 in the Haymarket Square of Chicago in support of eight-hour work.

Other credentials of Mr Osei, according to the citation, were that he had participated in many demonstrations and campaigns organised by Wacam on the protection of the rights of mining communities and the environment.

He had also demonstrated courage and commitment to the course of protecting poor farmers in mining communities. In 1994, he championed the struggle of cocoa farmers around Ayensukrom in the Western Region against the negative effects of poisonous emissions from the roaster of the then    Bogoso Gold Limited on the yield of cocoa farms in the Ayensukrom area.

Commenting on the award, Mrs Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, the Associate Executive Director of Wacam described Mr Osei as a courageous, intelligent and very nationalistic person who had made immeasurable contribution to the protection of the rights of people living in mining communities. “Wacam is very proud of him”, she said.
This was also published on infoghana.com on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.