When Apple debuted its I-Phone late last year, their product revolutionized the cell phone industry. It used to be so simple then. Over a decade ago, people walked around with big, blocky hand-held instruments. These “digital” phones had flashy lights and annoying sounds. Movies, such as “Boyz in the Hood” showed young, black kids talking on these primitive electronics. Cell phones earned a nasty stigma like their predecessors “beepers”. They became the necessary items for drug pushers.

Flash forward to 2008. Since then, big got small. And then, the phone had a “flip” look to them. Sprint started it all. Followed by T-Mobile and Cingular. Followed by Verizon, TracFone and dozens of independent carriers. Cingular merged with AT&T to become AT&T Wireless. And finally, the Apple I-Phone was born.

Cell phones used to only make calls from places with coverage. But recently, they mirrored tiny personal laptops. Verizon has several new models that allow documents to be created, and then saved. Later on, those documents are able to uploaded to a hard drive. Technology advanced better over time.

However, what was behind the advanced technology? Thousands of malnourished and starving Congolese children are behind our massive text packages, unlimited night and weekend minutes, corporate or personal emails, designer ringtones and OMG, LOL, IDK, TTYL and other ridiculous acronyms.

Just like the Asian sweatshops that supported our Nike and Reebok apparel, oppressed Africans supported our cell phone usage. Children as young as five are lowered into mines. They are placed among the precarious crevices and forced to inhale poisonous gases. They are forced to do this at the barrel of an AK-47. They are forced at gunpoint to mine for coltan.

Coltan has a great importance to cell phone technology. Without it, phones won’t operate. Nations spent billions in 2007 to import the precious metal. The Democratic Republic of Congo has shipped tons of coltan and uranium to First World nations for decades.

Congo has also sent billions of dollars in raw-cut diamonds. The African country allowed itself to be treated, like a geographical whore. Global corporations, such as AT&T, DeBeers and British Petroleum pimped her out for the natural resources. The money paid never reached an impoverished and illiterate population. Fat cat dictators siphoned funds capable of building hospitals, refinancing banks and creating infrastructure. They pocketed the profits and rewarded their families and private armies.

All this occurred during a five-year, civil war. Five million Congolese died and no one cared about them. Cell phone customers only cared about the service and no dropped calls.

MY SOURCE

Humanitarian Disaster in the Congo: A Slideshow