The pillage that fueled America's tech booms
About this episode
This episode explores the dangerous world of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its implications for technology and labor rights.
Cobalt mining is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. And it's also one of the most essential: cobalt is what powers the batteries in your smartphone, your laptop, the electric car you felt good about buying. More than three-quarters of the world's cobalt supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose abundant resources have drawn greed and grifters for centuries. This week on our series Hidden Histories , we reveal the fight for control of those resources, and for the dignity of the people who produce them. (This episode originally aired in 2023) Guests: Siddharth Kara, author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost Ramona Austin, art historian and former curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, African and global studies Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina and former UN ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our…
People in this episode
Guests: Siddharth Kara, Adam Hochschild, Ramona Austin, Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
Topics covered
- cobalt mining
- technology
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- resource control
- labor rights
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Books & works: Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, King Leopold’s Ghost
Places: Democratic Republic of Congo
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