More than 6 000 delegates attended the twenty-second Investing in African Mining Indaba, which has become an important meeting point for the world mining sector. It has now become a tradition for representatives of host governments, mining company heads, mining equipment manufacturers, service providers, financiers and community watchdogs to exchange news and views at the large convention centre in Cape Town in the first week of February. These visitors who are shown descending beneath a giant welcome banner symbolise mining’s current downward cycle of unknown duration.