White Gold: Ghana's Songor (21 images)

Experts estimate that the Songor Lagoon, if properly managed, could produce 1.2m tonnes of salt per year. Current production is one tenth of that figure. A rapid movement away from a communal ethos and the more sustainable traditional seasonal harvesting of salt are threatening what production remains. 'Atsiakpo' now proliferate - privately held artisanal pans inspired by industrial production methods, into which water is pumped from the lagoon. Set against a backdrop of population pressure,...
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Experts estimate that the Songor Lagoon, if properly managed, could produce 1.2m tonnes of salt per year. Current production is one tenth of that figure. A rapid movement away from a communal ethos and the more sustainable traditional seasonal harvesting of salt are threatening what production remains. 'Atsiakpo' now proliferate - privately held artisanal pans inspired by industrial production methods, into which water is pumped from the lagoon. Set against a backdrop of population pressure, modernisation, greed and survival, the practice of atsiakpo has given rise to a complex web of social and environmental issues.

Ageless and elemental, salt has been at the heart of this region of Ghana for longer than the oral histories can recall. How much longer will this be so?
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