COLTAN MINING

CONGO
CELL PHONES
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
AFRICA/ASIA/AUSTRALIA

NETWORK INVITATIONS: IFI encourages you to propose original works of publishable quality.

We are looking for: An investigative report, documentary film, interviews, or photo essay on Columbite-tantalite (coltan) mining––a key mineral used in cell phones and computer chips––in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What progress has been made since the United Nations’ 2001 report expressing outrage over human rights abuses suffered by Congolese peasants and children at the hands of local Congo, Rwandan, Ugandan, or Burundian rebels? Do mining profits continue to fund rebel militias?

Questions to Pursue: Do the largest clients of coltan––Ericsson, Intel, and Nokia––know where their coltan comes from? Do consumers? Is coltan the new “conflict diamond”? Research from 2001 estimates 30% of coltan miners are Congolese children––has that number increased as the market for coltan has grown? How has coltan mining affected environmentally protected areas in Congo, particularly gorilla habitat? What are the impacts of coltan mining in Africa, Australia, and central Asia where it is found in 3 billion year-old soils? How does the black market for coltan work––who are the players? What are the market projections for supply and demand of coltan as wireless technologies begin to show up everywhere?

Reference: The Industry Standard Magazine

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