Featured Project
PROJECT CONGO
Educate
Congo’s official name is the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the DR Congo which distinguishes it from its neighbor to the west, Republic of the Congo. A central African country that straddles the equator, the DR Congo has had a long history of oppression and conflict. Its vast mineral wealth has been exploited since the nineteenth century, first by King Leopold II of Belgium, who acquired the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and made the land his private property.
The DR Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, and major producer of copper and industrial diamonds. It produces gold, silver, zinc, manganese, uranium, and coal, as well as 70 percent of the world’s coltan, a major source of tantalum, used in making electronic components for computers, mobile phones, and other electronics. It also produces cassiterite, a source of tin, used for solder on electronic circuit boards; petroleum, hydropower, and timber.
While various factions in the DR Congo have been engaged in a shooting war for economic gain, women have been the targets of another kind of violence. Around 1999-2000, Hutu, Congolese, and other militias began a wave of rapes, sexually assaulting or mutilating thousands of women every year as part of a systematic campaign to demoralize the civilian population, especially in North and South Kivu, the DR Congo’s eastern provinces. Rape is a weapon of war that has been used by marauding armies throughout human history, and although women are the victims, they pay the price for being violated. Eastern Congo has become known as the rape capital of the world, and the effects of this war tactic are especially devastating. Most often, the woman’s husband rejects her out of shame and humiliation, and her family rejects the baby resulting from the rape. The high rate of HIV/AIDS presents another risk; even if the woman does not contract the disease, in the eyes of the community she is stigmatized as being an HIV/AIDS carrier. Many rapes are so brutal that they destroy a woman’s body, causing her to lose control over bodily functions. Women are the mainstay of the DR Congo society; when rape renders them social and physical pariahs, it has the effect of undermining the social structure and weakening — if not destroying — the culture.
For a more in-depth look at the situation in Congo – the history, culture, current status, please contact the WILPF NY Metro office at 212 533 2125.
Connect
Over the past 14 years, foreign corporations have been deeply involved in the exploitation of coltan in the Congo. The coltan mined by rebels and neighboring countries (Rwanda, Uganda & Burundi) is sold to multi-national corporations. The United Nations (UN), in four studies from 2001 – 2003, implicated several companies in sourcing coltan from the Congo and say that these companies serve as “the engine of the conflict in the DRC.” Major U. S. players identified by the UN Studies include: Cabot Corporation, Boston, MA; OM Group, Cleveland, Ohio; AVX, Myrtle Beach, SC; Eagle Wings Resources International, Ohio; Trinitech International, Ohio; Kemet Electronics Corporation, Greenville, SC; & Vishay Sprague. Malvern, PA.
Corporations from other countries have been a part of the coltan exploitation chain. These companies include but are not limited to Germany’s HC Starc and EPCOS, China’s Nigncxia, and Belgium’s George Forrest International. Once the coltan is processed and converted to capacitors, it is then sold to companies such as Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Alcatel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard , IBM, Lucent, Ericsson and Sony for use in a wide assortment of everyday products ranging from cell phones to computer chips and game consoles.
What are some of the uses of coltan in modern society?
• Laptop computers
• Cellular phones
• Jet engines
• Rockets
• Cutting tools
• Camera lenses
• X-ray film
• Ink jet printers
• Hearing aids
• Pacemakers
• Airbag protection systems
• Ignition and motor control modules, GPS, ABS systems in automobiles
• Game consoles such as playstation, xbox and nintendo
• Video cameras
• Digital still cameras
• Prosthetic devices for humans – hips, plates in the skull, also mesh to repair bone removed after damage by cancer
Are you beginning to see any connections?
For more resources and to join a “Mkaing the Connections” Workshop, contact the WILPF NY Metro office at 212 533 2125.
Act
1. Write a letter to your Congressional representative asking them to help break the silence on Congo.
2. Host a film screening at you home, place of worship, community center, club or school. We will provide you with a simple how-to guide, a facilitator/speaker.
3. Join ongoing projects spearheaded by WILPF and its partners.
4. Donate your time, talent and money to further the movement.
5. Make a video, write about it on facebook or in a blog, make your voice heard.
For more ideas, resources and information or to share your own thoughts, contact the WILPF NY Metro office at 212 533 2125.
