Quartz crystal mining on the island of Madagascar occurs at the expense of miners, often teenagers, who work in terrible conditions and for starvation wages to fuel the lucrative wellness industry that promises to cure Westerners’ ailments.
This is what the two co-directors of the documentary series “The Dangers of Healing Crystals”, Audrey Ruel-Manseau and Joris Cottin, observed, who traveled to this East African country for their research. This important report from the Quebec Investigation Bureau will be available on the Vrai platform starting Tuesday.
SCREENSHOT / QMI AGENCY
While the miners work without protection and sometimes at risk of their lives, on the other side of the spectrum there are increasing numbers of Westerners, including Quebecers, who unsuspectingly turn to healing crystals to heal themselves.
We’re talking about lithotherapy, a pseudoscientific practice in which stones and minerals emit vibrations and have the power to treat physical and psychological suffering. This is one of the fashions that the pandemic has revived. People are using stones to relieve depression, for example, as COVID-19 has increased the discomfort of many people desperately trying to “realign” their chakras.
Dealers transport containers full of “healing crystals” to Montreal, which are then sold online, in specialty stores, in bookstores and even in pharmacies in Quebec.
SCREENSHOT / QMI AGENCY
To follow the stone route in Madagascar, Audrey Ruel-Manseau did not hesitate to descend into a mine shaft and hold on to a rudimentary rope. She was able to see with her own eyes the difficult working conditions in small-scale mines from a depth of 15 meters. Most of these operations have been illegal since a freeze on mining permits was imposed a decade ago. But since they have to eat, the Malagasy have no other choice, especially since four out of five of the island’s residents live below the poverty line.
It’s not science
Geologist Michel Jébrak, professor emeritus in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at UQAM, recalls that the supposed benefits of stones are linked to ancient beliefs and religious traditions. We also think of the spiritual New Age movement in the 1970s.
SCREENSHOT / QMI AGENCY
But for him, the power of stones held in your hands, worn around your neck or displayed at home is synonymous with astrology, he tells the camera. “We have to recognize that this is completely wrong and there is nothing scientific about it.” However, the documentary series does not judge the beliefs of some people and the beliefs of others.
Who benefits from healing crystal trading?
SCREENSHOT / QMI AGENCY
The investigation also allows us to understand who benefits from the crystal trade. The miners feed a chain of middlemen and traders who make significant profits from this trade and promise self-healing to those who believe in it. Before the crystals even reach the port of Toamasina on the northeast coast of Madagascar, they are sold in the mines for up to 160 times the starting price.
In our country, several established companies are taking advantage of this marketing of healing crystals, selling 0.4 kilo pieces for almost $50, a hundred times the original price paid.
SCREENSHOT / QMI AGENCY
The documentary series “The Dangers of Healing Crystals” will be available on Vrai from Tuesday, September 26th. The report was supported by a grant from the Fonds québécois en journalistic international (FQJI).
