Raping Africa: Back To Congo

in #africa7 years ago


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My work on behalf of children around the world extends past the posts I do for @familyprotection... several months ago I wrote a series called Raping Africa exposing child trafficking and forced child labor throughout much of the continent. Several of the articles centered around child labor in the Congo and now it appears that civil unrest has once again revisited this mineral rich nation where children are forced to do most of the labor.

To fully understand what's going on, it's important to understand how politics is dome in "post-colonial" Africa. The truth of the matter is that a new form of colonialism exists with the UN and multinational corporations at the helm... it's almost become a one-size-fits-all paradigm for global exploitation. Using the Congo as an example, this is how it works throughout much of Africa.

The Congo is rich in natural resources- in particular cobalt, a necessary ingredient for lithium ion batteries (like the ones in your cell-phone and electric cars). Multinational corporations covet these natural resources and fear that if Africa should develop and industrialize they lose their bottom line... so they fund radical "rebel" groups to cause civil unrest. Then the UN- the most corrupt institution on the face of the earth- steps in and sends in "peacekeepers"... in the case of the Congo, thugs from the Rwandan Army. Then the UN brokers "free democratic elections" that are anything but. The UN selects a "president," inevitably a strongman favorable to the multinationals who pay them off and only ballots from the party of the anointed candidate are counted and he, unsurprisingly, wins by a landslide. Having their puppet firmly in place, backed by the "peacekeepers," the multinationals are free to exploit Africa for its wealth of resources. When conditions for the people deteriorate so badly that they can no longer tolerate them- as is the case in the Congo once again- they fight back.

The tragic side of this is that nothing ever seems to change that is beneficial to the people. Their country continues to be raped of its mineral resources and the children are forced into what amounts to modern day slavery. Children are kidnapped from loving homes (people in Africa love their children too- something we tend to overlook) and forced to work 12 hour days in the mines... in dangerous and deplorable working conditions. Many of the mines are no more than holes 40 or 50' deep and no more than 3' wide- too small for an adult. The children are lowered on ropes into 130-140 degree temperatures to search for the cobalt. If they refuse to work, they have a hand or foot cut off, or a family member is killed. I guess the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child doesn't extend to little black kids who can readily exploited to help fund their corruption. This video shows some of the conditions that the children are forced to work in.

In addition to exposing the corruption of the UN and multinational corporations that support them, this also shows the utter hypocrisy of the wonderful caring people in the environmental movement. The batteries that electric cars require to run use much of the cobalt mined in the Congo. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, sacrificing a few black kids in Africa is a small price to pay to create the illusion of "saving Mother Earth." After all, none of us knows them and they can survive with only one hand or foot... and remember, Elon Musk and Richard Branson have a lot of money invested- as does Apple- we'd hate to see their profit margin threatened just to save a few African kids that none of us knows anyway.

Lamentably, this has become a familiar pattern throughout Africa... children yanked from loving homes and either trafficked to Europe to be exploited there, or into forced labor camps at home... all in the name of "progress." Enjoy your Smart Phone...

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Thanks for shedding light on this sick sh*t. You are right it starts with the children. No penalty is good enough for those that exploit children.

Look at the amount of money the UN takes in on behalf of kids around the world- UNICEF! Those kids don't get a dime of that. That's where the real sickness is! I'm happy that Trump cut off their funding!!!

Until Trump stepped up we were living in a Bizarro World.

It's still pretty bizzaro! But he's a step in the right direction. I'd love to see a whole cadre of Independents run in the next election and get rid of the RINOs and Dems for good!

The people running the Main stream media MSM are criminal in my view. They use their power to deceive us. Thank God for the internet to get better informed.

That's exactly what they do! When's the last time you saw anything about this (or anything against the UN) on the nightly news???

Thanks for being a fearless voice for those who have no voice!

It is sad how we have gone from "Colonialism" being about rulers and nations striving to own and control the world to this new paradigm of "Corporate Colonialism." The powers that be point to the ways we have "progressed" by doing away with the evil ways of yore, even as they turn blind eyes to the horrors caused corporate colonialists whose only motivation is maximizing profits for investors, while the human toll grows.

Blessings to you and yours!

Thank you my friend... What I went through was terrible, like I explained in yesterday's post, but nobody ever cut off a hand or foot or threatened to kill someone I loved. I can't imagine what those kids go through- I didn't even mention the death rate in those mines which is astronomical! I read one report of 6 kids in one day dying in a single mine.

In my previous series, I call it neo-colonialism... It's the same colonialism- just wearing a different mask. You hit it on the head- Corporate Colonialism is just what it is with the UN as the tool of enforcement. They use the World Bank and IMF to blackmail countries financially to go along with their corporate masters... The whole thing makes me sick!!!

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This your post is so so accurate an on point, I know the length the African communities are going right now that put this children in more danger, slavery and "so-sos". We will strive on for the betterment of all human race. The UN is a sham!!. Thanks for this post Sir Rich

Thank you! I've been investigating the UN for over 20 years and it is exactly that- a sham!

wow.!!!! what a great share...
It is sad how we have gone from "Colonialism" being about rulers and nations striving to own and control the world to this new paradigm of "Corporate Colonialism." The powers that be point to the ways we have "progressed" by doing away with the evil ways of yore, even as they turn blind eyes to the horrors caused corporate colonialists whose only motivation is maximizing profits for investors, while the human toll grows.

Exactly right and nobody seems to care as long as they can get cheap phones and whatever else they can get. The biggest threat to the corporations is Africa developing and starting their own industries so they can get value added for their resources (that they own, by the way!)

Poor Africa

Electric cars drive me nuts. People say they are clean, but the energy that powers the electric car (at least in the USA) comes from a coal plant.......

It is so tragic an evil that profit margins matter more than our brothers and sisters. How can such justifications and corruption not make the light of day? I imagine that the corruption is pervasive, as is suggested by @richq11, and involves all manners of "civilized" organizations such as the environmental movement and corporations... not just warlords and local pawns. It is so revolting. I can only hope their time will come. Thank you for sharing and giving voice to those who can not protect themselves.

Thank you!

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