Congo is a classic victim of the resource curse. Its bountiful deposits—in everything from copper to diamonds—are brazenly plundered by corrupt governments and regional warlords while the population goes without basic services. Today, most violence—including mass rape, slavery, mutilation, and possibly even forced cannibalism—is concentrated in the war-ravaged eastern Kivu provinces, where the Congolese Army and ethnic militias bludgeon each other over the right to trade in mineral ore. One study estimates 5.4 million people have been killed since 1998;
via newsweek.com
That’s just an excerpt. Hit that Newsweek link for more depressing realities about where our tech comes from or just watch the fun parody video from RaiseHopeForCongo.org:
I’m not giving up my tech, but reblog/retweet/repost this story, or just talk about it so we can raise awareness and pressure tech companies to build their products without minerals minded under the threat of violence. You can also check out the RaiseHopeForCongo.org website to see if there’s more that you can do.
Sadly, this is just one example of violence paid for by we in the developed world—I could go on and talk about how every time we buy a Chiquita banana a terrorist smiles, but I won’t. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment