Coltan and Collective Identities How does our technology use link us with collective identities of people from the Congo?

Show and Tell… How many of you have your own personal computer? How many of you have a cell phone at school today?

Coltan and Connected Identities One of the components of cell phones is a metal called coltan Coltan helps control the flow of electricity in a cell phone’s miniature circuits- and serves the same purpose in other electronic equipment such as laptops and MP3 players

Where is coltan mined? The eastern region of the Democratic republic of the Congo When you use a cell phone- or any other electronic device, you may be linking your identity with the identity of a Congolese coltan-miner

Coltan and Connected Identities The rising demand for coltan has increased the demand for this metal- which in turn has sparked conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Congo has already been torn by civil wars; to survive, many people turned to coltan mining Like mining in general, coltan mining is very dangerous- but is even more dangerous than other mining because groups of armed thieves try to steal the coltan because it is so valuable.

Blood Coltan: A Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umoW-2UVKKA