EFFETS SOCIAUX ET MORAUX DES PRATIQUES MAGICO-RELIGIEUSES SUR LA COHESION DES ACTEURS MINIERS SUR LE SITE D ORPAILLAGE ARTISANAL DE M BANGA AU NIGER

In traditional societies, humans being have always sought to explain their universe based on their own reasoning. This explains why every social event that occurs or is experienced is interpreted based on their own internal knowledge. In the field of artisanal gold mining, mining actors have a diverse social representation of gold, leading them to resort to various forms of magico-religious practices born from the intermingling of Islamic and animist cultures. This study analyzes the social and moral effects of magico-religious practices on the cohesion of mining actors at the artisanal gold mining site of M’banga in Niger. The main research question is: What are the social and symbolic effects of magico-religious practices on the cohesion of the gold mining group at the M banga site? To achieve our aim, we adopted a qualitative approach combining documentary research, individual and group interviews with 139 mining stakeholders, and an observation form. The results of this research reveal that magico-religious practices have detrimental social and moral effects on the cohesion of the gold mining group and, more broadly, on peaceful coexistence between communities. This includes, among other things, the ambivalent use of certain magico-religious practices (geomancy, sexual rituals, evil gifts), human organ trafficking, the signing of pacts with occult forces leading to supreme sacrifices, and behaviors that undermine the cohesion of the gold mining group,facilitated by those who possess esoteric knowledge.