The Coltan: A little known fact
Historically, many African resources have sparked interest, but greed, neighbors and outsiders. From the sixteenth century the advance of Muslim expansionism, former brokers for Europe, accompanied by the Portuguese, began a profitable and unequal situation in the continent, which extends until days.
The gold and diamond mines of South always tempted with their brightness to the European capitalists, which after the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), dominated the colonies and in the short period of twenty years divided Africa. After the government
Leopold II, King of the Belgians, considered one of the most heinous regimes were imposed on Africa and to the extent that the colonial economy began to grow almost any sector of African society could be isolated from the the monarch imposed parameters. The labor force was recruited, undisguised forms of forced labor and slavery situations covert just were so many aspects of strengthen them.
independence of African states, between 1960 and 1970, did not bring many changes, as some African leaders like Patrice Lumumba or Thomas Sankara, who tried to curb discrimination, exploitation and corruption generated by the elites African rulers who took over from the oppression exercised by the settlers, were removed physically active or passive complicity of foreign powers and local politicians.
A major concern today is the illegal extraction of Columbo Tantalina, known as coltan. This mineral, little known to the world, which was originally extracted from Kivu province Democratic Republic of the Congo, now also operates in Rwanda and Uganda.
Demand has increased and the big companies like Nokia, Sony and IBM are vying for production, because the coltan is one of the most important components for the manufacture of high technology products.
ore extraction is carried out by a population that, driven by poverty, is used in mines for a few coins and in conditions of slavery. The most sought-after workers are children, who after leaving school in droves, they become a cheap labor, docile and small, provided the latter more than appropriate, since mine are flush with the ground and it is easier to enter them.
"The rulers are isolated from the world, live in palaces and centralized all decision-making, while the town is devastated," said Escudero Ezequiel, BA in International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, National University of Central Province of Buenos Aires. For that reason, when they reach the mainland investors to extract coltan "not only do not care how much or how they pay employees, or a 12 year old boy dies of cancer at two years of work, but the government itself that is who would be concerned for his people, not cares " and says: "There is always a trade issue behind all this." On the subject
, Hilda Varela, BA in International Relations, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (FCPS), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), argues that those responsible are the local elites, government and business, supported by external partners , governments and private companies. "The companies are private and selfish interests, not humanitarian organizations but on the contrary, working to expand its benefits," adding: "The extraction of resources is only profitable for these companies and that's all that matters to them."
Escudero said for his part, too, as one of the main causes of exploitation, the perpetuation of power by rulers, who "absolutely destroyed all democratic means or the ability to access education." The African problem is not solved only "to move some pieces and nothing else, is an organic matter."
sum up the prevailing operating conditions, it is estimated that more than three million people have died in recent years Coltan mines, therefore inhuman situation in the workplace.
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