Your cell phone, Congo’s misery

A new documentary film, “Blood in the Mobile,” powerfully addresses both the limits of the imagination and our sense of connection to atrocities committed on the other side of the world.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• In Congo, militia groups and army factions control many mines, says Robin Wright
• Minerals in these mines go into cell phones, laptops, digital cameras and other products
• Congolese mine work is back-breaking, perilous and poorly paid, Wright says
• In Congo, more than 5 million have died through war and hardships in the past decade

Actor and activist Robin Wright in a CNN feature shows how the minerals in our cell phones finance war. She recently traveled to eastern Congo with the Enough Project, a Washington-based group focused on ending genocide and crimes against humanity. Hervideo trip diary appears as a special feature on a new UK edition of “Blood in the Mobile,” available on DVD.

Reflections:

• Is Nokia the only cell phone  company  faced with this issue?
• In this interconnected economy are cell phones the only products that are associated with misery for those who provide materials?
• Granted it is easier to look the other way. But are the any other responses?

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Tags: CNN, Congo, Mobile phones, Poverty Analysis