You may not have heard of coltan, but you have it in your cell phone, laptops, pagers and other electronic devices. It is important to everyday communication around the world, but it is making the conflict in Congo more complicated.
What Is Coltan?
Columbite-tantalite — coltan for short — is a dull metallic ore found in major quantities in the eastern areas of Congo. When refined, coltan becomes metallic tantalum, a heat-resistant powder that can hold a high electrical charge. These properties make it a vital element in creating capacitors, the electronic elements that control current flow inside miniature circuit boards. Tantalum capacitors are used in almost all cell phones, laptops, pagers and many other electronics.
Watch full documentary video: Coltan Blood 2008
Related article:Guns, Money & Cell Phones
The advancements in high-tech undoubtedly benefit the people as they become more productive in every human activity be it in trade, education or medicine. We’d also expect more under-developed countries, and especially the ones that supply the natural resources to prosper and advance in tandem with the technology.
However, greed overcome every good in the human, and in the case of Coltan, Congo is made to suffer so that the multinational companies and banker$ get wealthier.
There’s nothing evil in technology, except that the-end-justifies-the-means attitude in humans exploiting his own kind to satisfy his insatiable appetite for money is appalling to say the least.
I am reminded every time my mobile phone rings, I could hear the cries of Congolese men, women and children who suffered just so that I could communicate wirelessly…
Sigh...
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