The Martlet

All of our modern technological devices, including smart phones and laptops, give us many conveniences that only existed in the realm of science fiction not that long ago. And there are always newer devices with amazing features to make our lives even better.

But once one looks into where a lot of technology really comes from, suddenly there’s a terrible dark side to all these new gadgets.

And the shadow looming over the sparkle of much of our high-tech gadgetry is in the stuff it’s made of — the minerals used in production, and where they come from. One of these minerals, known as coltan, is one that has been especially controversial over the past several years.

Coltan is a black, dense mineral from which tantalum is extracted (the “tan” in Coltan). The tantalum is used to make components used in the circuitry of many modern electronic devices.

While coltan is mined in different countries around the world, including Canada, a significant amount of extraction takes place in mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Southern Africa. There, the coltan is mined by manual labourers from large quarries dug out of mountains in numerous regions around the country.

The coltan is brought to local companies, who then sell to foreign resource companies. These companies then export the coltan to technology companies in China that manufacture electronics for all the popular brands of cell phones, computers, DVD players and countless other devices.

The real controversy lies in the Congo’s current political situation. The country is very politically unstable. Many of the coltan mine sites are controlled by rebel militia groups, which force young children to work as slaves, extracting the minerals in abysmal work conditions.

The sales of coltan, as well as other minerals, have enabled these militias to buy arms and continue their war against the DRC’s government, a conflict resulting in millions of deaths over the past decade, not to mention the brutalization of countless women and children. The driving factor behind the conflict lies in desire for control over the DRC’s vast mineral resources.

Besides the human impact of Coltan mining in the Congo, there is an enormous environmental impact due to land erosion resulting from the mines. This is having a disastrous impact on the local mountain gorilla population, who are even being hunted and eaten by rebel soldiers.

Fortunately, this situation has come to the attention of many organizations and activist groups, thanks to documentaries such as 2008’s Blood Coltan. But while the resulting political pressure from increased public awareness may cause some technology companies to place stricter, more ethical standards on where their coltan is coming from, other companies may not show the same concern.

Because these electronics devices are so commonplace in our society, it’s unlikely we will give them up as an answer to this issue. The fact is, coltan is found in just about every piece of electronic equipment we use. So it’s really up to us as consumers to be aware of the process of where, exactly, all of our high-tech toys are coming from. People need to apply political pressure not only on governments but on electronics companies to make sure they do the right thing.

Technology may help bring some amazing advances, and we know it has the capacity for good — just witness the role or social media in the uprisings in the Middle East over the past year. But considering the situation in the Congo, how can we say our society is truly moving forward, if we know it’s holding some people back?