The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world and thanks to an insanely complicated mix of politics, armed conflict, and corruption… it’s also one of the most under-reported. It also happens to be home to a nondescript black rock known as Coltan… a vital ingredient in the production of nearly every cell phone and computer on the planet. Without Coltan, our technology-driven lives would come to a screeching halt, and Congo has 80% of the world’s supply. Since the mid nineteen-nineties, armed groups have used these minerals to fund a series of fantastically complicated and horrifically violent wars.
Vice founder Suroosh Alvi travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and makes one of the most grueling treks of his life to see first-hand where this so-called “conflict mineral” comes from and to meet some of the rebels involved in the seemingly never-ending conflict in Eastern Congo.
Coltan is used primarily for the production of tantalum capacitors, used in many electronic devices. Many sources mention coltan’s importance in the production of mobile phones, but this is an over-simplification, as tantalum capacitors are used in almost every kind of electronic device.
It is also used in high temperature alloys for air and land based turbines.
This is a new things I learned today 🙂
stunning, enjoyable doco! soo inspirational I wrote a song about it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRxxe0tO61c&feature=channel_video_title
Sigh.. even if the misery of the people wasn’t narrated, the film clearly showed it.
What comes to the “really goes on there” part, there isn’t any way to tell that story in one film, or if made, that film would be the longest one in the history.
Extra + for the 720p quality! 8/10
unreported because it’s so complicated?!
yea ok, that’s why, what a shallow conclusion to a shallow “movie”. Totally underestimating what really goes on there and clearing the continuos of the curios “westerner”
ugh.
the term complicated when used in this context clearly has extend passed simple understanding of the issue – The entire expedition would be “complicated” is what is meant. And not to mention he clearly uses the word to remain P.C – I would have said “it’s way to fucked up in every way possible to report on”.
“Underestimated what goes on there” Care to explain. They expected to find Rape, Forced child labour at gun point, and death. How did they underestimate the situation exactly?
what a dick comment you made too (had to add that)
ugh.