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Amplifying Online Activism: Multimedia Elements in the #StopillegalMining Campaign in Ghana

by Gideon Nyarko | Xchanges 20.1/2, Spring 2026


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Contents

Introduction

Overview of Galamsey and Environmental Destruction in Ghana

Multimodal and Networked Rhetoric as Drivers of Participation in Digital Environmental Activism

Analysis: Multimodal Strategies and Social Media Amplification

Example 1: The Polluted River Bodies–A Multimodal Call to Action

Cultural Authority and Moral Legitimacy: The Asantehene’s Intervention

Conclusion

References

About the Author

References

Bansah, K. J., Acquah, P. J., & Boafo, A. (2024). Land, water, and forest degradation in artisanal and small-scale mining: Implications for environmental sustainability and community wellbeing. Resources Policy, 90, 104795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.104795

Donkor, P., Siabi, E. K., Frimpong, K., Frimpong, P. T., Mensah, S. K., Vuu, C., ... & Mensah, J. K. (2024). Impacts of illegal Artisanal and small-scale gold mining on livelihoods in cocoa farming communities: A case of Amansie West District, Ghana. Resources Policy, 91, 104879.

Edbauer, J. (2005). Unframing models of public distribution: From rhetorical situation to rhetorical ecologies. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 35(4), 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773940509391320

Ehrenfeld, D. (2020). Rhetorical resilience and networked publics. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 50(5), 305–320.

Gries, L. E. (2017). Mapping Obama hope: A data visualization project for visual rhetorics. Enculturation (24). http://enculturation.net/mapping-obama-hope

Kjeldsen, J. E., & Hess, A. (2021). Experiencing multimodal rhetoric and argumentation in digital media. Argumentation, 35(2), 201–219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10503-020-09529-8

Koffi, K. V., Obuobie, E., Banning, A., & Wohnlich, S. (2017). Hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater and surface water in Ghana. Environmental Earth Sciences, 76(4), 185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6490-3

Kress, G. (2009). Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge.

Middleton, M., Hess, A., Endres, D., & Senda-Cook, S. (2015). Participatory critical rhetoric: Theoretical and methodological foundations for studying rhetoric in situ. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Ndip, A. E., Rozo, S. V., Urbina, M. J., & Wieser, C. (2024). Refugees and humanitarian aid. World Bank.

Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford University Press.

Ray, D. I. (1996). Divided sovereignty: Traditional authority and the state in Ghana. Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, 28(37–38), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/07329113.1996.10756538

Tufekci, Z. (2013). Not this one: Social movements, the attention economy, and microcelebrity networked activism. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(7), 848–870. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213479369

United Nations. (2014). Criminal offences: Illicit trafficking. https://doi.org/10.18356/f6c93ebf-en

Yelsang, F. D., & Millar, D. (2013). Traditional Knowledge Systems in Natural Resource Management and Rural Livelihood Enhancement: A Study of Lawra District of Ghana. Scottish Journal of Arts, Social Sciences and Scientific Studies, 3(1), 3-15.

Zabyelina, Y., & van Uhm, D. (Eds.). (2020). Illegal mining: Organized crime, corruption, and ecocide in a resource-scarce world. Springer Nature.

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Posted by chanakya_das on May 09, 2026 in Issue 20.1/2

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