Blood Coltan
The mobile phone is a remarkable piece of engineering. But look inside. There’s blood in this machine. There’s blood in this device because your mobile contains tiny electronic circuits, and they couldn’t work without mineral called COLTAN. It’s mined in the eastern Congo. There is blood here, the blood of Congolese who are dying in a terrible conflict.
The West’s demand for Coltan, used in mobile phones and computers, is funding the killings in Congo. Under the close watch of rebel militias, children as young as ten work the mines hunting for this black gold. ‘Blood Coltan’ exposes the web of powerful interests protecting this blood trade. Meet the powerful warlords who enslave local population and the European businessmen who continue importing Coltan, in defiance of the UN. (Excerpt from javafilms.fr)
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My question is, what are the alternatives? This documentary exposes a typical problem which has evolved from diamonds, coltan ect. The rebel armies who get rich and supply their troops, while the people who work the mines are satisfied with little and at times their lives. Tell me what guilt free phone I can purchase.
Very good content, although the video quality could be better. Thanks for this brilliant peace of hard work.
What did the people do for living before the mine came?
So don’t buy Mobile Phones. No Demand , No Supply. Basic Business.
“That Which Feeds Me …”
your purchasing habits are your only vote! you are not a citizen you are a consumer.
this is an economic product no one can stop anyone for taking them. its money!
the only way to deal with it is for the UN to take it away from the warlords and gave it to the people of congo. where they will treat the workers right and your the money produce by selling the coltan to fed its citizen.
Highly interesting and a tough piece of work, so well done for that. Should there be ‘Fair Trade’ notices on all Mobiles using Coltan from suffering countries. Hopefully Nature it self will hold the answer.
So ******, I always hear stories about blood diamonds, blood this and blood that. No one ever talks about how half the governments are worst than the rebels and they can sell all the blood resources they want. Blood diamonds or blood sanctions mean that rebels cannot fight an unjustice government even if that government is committing genocide against its own people. The number 1 buyer of blood resources are usually the biggest in the industry. Ie. de beers buys most the world’s blood diamonds because blood diamonds go for a fraction of regular diamonds and they want to keep up prices.