Is That A Bloody Connection To The Congo In Your Pocket Or Are You Pleased To See Me?
By Tom Foremski - November 3, 2008
There is a Congo connection to cell phones and all types of digital devices...
We are constantly reminded that we live in a global community and what we do here can have sometimes unknown consequences elsewhere. That's true for the bloody war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 80 per cent of the world's Coltan is mined.
Coltan is a mineral that is used to produce tantalum, a metal with unique properties for storing an electrical charge in capacitors. It is used in all cell phones and in digital devices of all types and sizes.
Here is cellular-news to explain more:
Coltan, Gorillas and cellphones
A recent report by the UN has claimed that all the parties involved in the local civil war have been involved in the mining and sale of Coltan. One report suggested that the neighboring Rwandan army made US$250 million from selling Coltan in less than 18 months, despite there being no Coltan in Rwanda to mine. The military forces of Uganda and Burundi are also implicated in smuggling Coltan out of Congo for resale in Belgium.
. . .The main area where Coltan is mined, also contains the Kahuzi Biega National Park, home of the Mountain Gorilla. In Kahuzi Biega National Park the gorilla population has been cut nearly in half, from 258 to 130 as the ground is cleared to make mining easier.
. . .American-based Kemet, the world's largest maker of tantalum capacitors, has asked its suppliers to certify that their coltan ore does not come from Dem. Rep. of Congo or from neighboring countries. Such moves could lead to "Gorilla Safe " cellphones being marketed, much in the same way that Tuna meat is now sold as "Dolphin Safe".
Should we stop buying any electronics unless it is certified to be "civil war free?" Coltan buyers report that it is nearly impossible to know the original source of the coltan they buy.
The civil war that has displaced and killed millions of people in the Congo is more like a systemic invasion by six armies to exploit the mineral wealth of the country. So that people's insatiable appetite for gizmos and gadgets can be satisfied?
So think twice about that new gadget, smartphone or laptop. If you need a reason to wait, here is a good one. Another reason why living green is nearly impossible unless we get rid of inequalities and war worldwide.
Here is a news report on coltan mining:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWj1ZGn4uM
And it's not just coltan, there is a mineral called cassiterite that is also heavily used in electronics manufacture, and is also mined in the Congo.
(Hat tip to Anne Garrison.)
. . .
Please see:
Your iPod and the Congo
Moneyweb - Fear and loathing - Guns, rockets, filthy minerals
Blood cell phones | The Gustavian Weekly - Gustavus Adolphus College
« Announcing SVW Online Virtualization Summit November 4! | Main | SugarCRM: Thorny and Open Source . . . »
Posted to A Top Story | CongoWatch
November 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comment | Subscribe to SVW
- Top Stories:
- Silicon Valley Goes To Paris... Le Web '09
- Turkey's Search Engine And The Backlash Against The Internet's 'Wal-Marts'
- A Saturday Post: Media In Crisis: I'm Thankful For Being Here Right Now...
- Guest Post: Social Media Marketing is Swiss Cheese
- A Single Search Index Would Speed Up The Entire Internet - A Zero Carbon Speed Boost
- The Dark Matter Of Internet Commerce - A Towering Pile of Scams - $1.4Bn And Counting...
- Groovy: Real-Time Data Could Aid Media Companies
- Tech Awards For Humanity: "Cash Prizes" Galore And Al Gore's Meaningless Speech . . . And Amazing Laureates!
- The Death Of The Search Algorithm? Techmeme Has Six Editors
- TEDxSF - Little TED Just Like The Big TED
- What's Next? Beyond Real-Time...
- PearlTrees: A Novel Approach To Human Mapping Of The Internet
Comments (5)
Fantastic posting, Tom - the education is much appreciated.
Posted: November 4, 2008 10:09 AM
Thanks for this post, Tom; though I feel slightly overwhelmed. The sheer numbers of digital devices now in the world (or predicted soon to land in it) boggle the mind when seen in this context. But your point is well taken, that we won't be able to stop it or find an alternative until more people know and raise their concerns. Must go and stare at my cellphone in disgust now.
Posted: November 5, 2008 10:15 PM
Merridith: I know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed. It seems to me that the companies that we buy our gadgets, gizmos, and computers from, should have an ethical duty to protect their customers from associations as troubling as that of the Congo--and anywhere else that crimes of such magnitude are being committed.
Posted: November 6, 2008 9:29 AM
Hi,
I´m an expatriate working in Goma, DRC. I just wanted to thank you for writing about this issue. There is a clear link between what´s going on here and the export of coltan and cassiterite.
Again thanks for the post.
Posted: November 8, 2008 11:32 AM
http://stopthewarinnorthkivu.wordpress.com: Is there anything we can do? Should we be putting pressure on the electronics industry to ensure their products are blood-free? This seems similar to the situation with blood diamonds.
Posted: November 8, 2008 6:31 PM