Congo

[iamlowsound]

Just thought everyone should be aware of what is happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo right now. Not looking good at all right now, I have heard some say that it could turn into a Genocide much like Rwanda in 1994. I know that I am praying it doesn't, I have been to Rwanda and it stills resonates there 14 years later.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa...ef=mpstoryview

lowsound

[hbarcat]

I hate to be so pessimistic but it's difficult to find any reason for hope in this region. Lots of mineral wealth to be plundered and not much else of value in the there (aside from some beautiful scenery) and it's a recipe for tribal warlords to beat each other up (and kill large segments of the population at the same time) in order to get their hands on the goodies.

There's no tradition of law and order there and no incentive for it to start from within or without the country. Human rights organizations can "tut-tut" about it and pass resolutions condemning violence all they want but it's extremely doubtful that any actual peacekeepers from anywhere (the UN for example) are going to get their boots muddy by going near this.

It's really pretty damn sad.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I hate to be so pessimistic but it's difficult to find any reason for hope in this region. Lots of mineral wealth to be plundered and not much else of value in the there (aside from some beautiful scenery) and it's a recipe for tribal warlords to beat each other up (and kill large segments of the population at the same time) in order to get their hands on the goodies.

There's no tradition of law and order there and no incentive for it to start from within or without the country. Human rights organizations can "tut-tut" about it and pass resolutions condemning violence all they want but it's extremely doubtful that any actual peacekeepers from anywhere (the UN for example) are going to get their boots muddy by going near this.

It's really pretty damn sad.

It is horribly sad. Like I said above, I have been to Rwanda and while it is recovering (and recovering well, very well), it still reverberates through out the country. IMO the only reason that peace has stayed in Rwanda since the whole thing ended was that it was a solution from within the country. It wasn't something that was forced on by the UN or anyone else. It was the people standing up and saying that it needed to stop and stopping it.

With that being said, the west NEEDS to know what goes on in Africa. It is downright sickening. Read about what went on in Rwanda and what is going on in the Congo. Instead of killing most women, they get someone that is known to have AIDS rape them, so they get AIDS. Stuff that I can't post here and stuff that I hate to admit the human race has not only come up with, but has put into practice. It makes me want to throw up with disgust.

IMO only African solutions will solve any problem in Africa, but those same solutions have to have the West backing them. That is why the West needs to know what is going on. The "Save Darfur" campaign has done a lot to raise awareness about what is going on in Darfur, but that is only the start as what is going on in Darfur is only a spill-over from Uganda. Africa has no country borders and it shows. In fact there is talk about getting rid of borders in some parts of central Africa. Sorry for the rant, but people need to know these things.

lowsound

[Vince S.]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

It is horribly sad. Like I said above, I have been to Rwanda and while it is recovering (and recovering well, very well), it still reverberates through out the country. IMO the only reason that peace has stayed in Rwanda since the whole thing ended was that it was a solution from within the country. It wasn't something that was forced on by the UN or anyone else. It was the people standing up and saying that it needed to stop and stopping it.

With that being said, the west NEEDS to know what goes on in Africa. It is downright sickening. Read about what went on in Rwanda and what is going on in the Congo. Instead of killing most women, they get someone that is known to have AIDS rape them, so they get AIDS. Stuff that I can't post here and stuff that I hate to admit the human race has not only come up with, but has put into practice. It makes me want to throw up with disgust.

IMO only African solutions will solve any problem in Africa, but those same solutions have to have the West backing them. That is why the West needs to know what is going on. The "Save Darfur" campaign has done a lot to raise awareness about what is going on in Darfur, but that is only the start as what is going on in Darfur is only a spill-over from Uganda. Africa has no country borders and it shows. In fact there is talk about getting rid of borders in some parts of central Africa. Sorry for the rant, but people need to know these things.

lowsound

Without getting too political, I would say "the West" has had a significant historical hand in why many African countries are the way they are today.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Vince S.

Without getting too political, I would say "the West" has had a significant historical hand in why many African countries are the way they are today.

The US is the biggest arms dealer in the world, FACT. That is about as political as I can get on that. You are correct about the west having a great big hand causing everything going on in Africa. That isn't hard to see, that is why solutions for African problems that come from the west never work.

lowsound

[MJ5150]

Is this the place where they make charcoal and people are fighting over some chunk of land that the nearly extinct mountain gorillas call home?

-Mike

[Way Off Bass]

this is a typical outsiders view of africa

actually, things are looking up in africa. in most undeveloped countries, they are electing truely democratic leaders who are utilizing said resources (which btw their main resource is land area, not mineral wealth) to provide food for the rest of africa and, vicariously, to their people

the only region of some concern is the most developed: South Africa. I don't know if you know who Kgalema Motlanthe is, but he is SA's newest president, who is very angry and not very educated (I believe he never passed the equivalancy of high school). He is dangerous in that he could really destabilize the region, and has been noted as saying as weapons development could be a "profitable endeavour" for his country

honestly, I'd jump on a plane to Iraq before I would consider showing up in South Africa

[Phil Smith]

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-s...cide-in-congo/

...Columbo-tantalite, i.e. coltan, is found in three-billion-year-old soils like those in the Rift Valley region of Africa. The tantalum extracted from the coltan ore is used to make tantalum capacitors, tiny components that are essential in managing the flow of current in electronic devices. Eighty percent of the world’s coltan reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Niobium is another high-tech mineral with a similar story.

Sprocket reports that the high-tech boom of the 1990s caused the price of coltan to skyrocket to nearly $300 per pound. In 1996 U.S.-sponsored Rwandan and Ugandan forces entered eastern DRC. By 1998 they seized control and moved into strategic mining areas. The Rwandan Army was soon making $20 million or more a month from coltan mining. Though the price of coltan has fallen, Rwanda maintains its monopoly on coltan and the coltan trade in DRC. Reports of rampant human rights abuses pour out of this mining region.

Coltan makes its way out of the mines to trading posts where foreign traders buy the mineral and ship it abroad, mostly through Rwanda. Firms with the capability turn coltan into the coveted tantalum powder, and then sell the magic powder to Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Sony, and other manufacturers for use in cell phones and other products.

Keith Harmon Snow emphasizes that any analysis of the geopolitics in the Congo, and the reasons for why the Congolese people have suffered a virtually unending war since 1996, requires an understanding of the organized crime perpetrated through multinational businesses. The tragedy of the Congo conflict has been instituted by invested corporations, their proxy armies, and the supra-governmental bodies that support them.

The process is tied to major multinational corporations at all levels. These include U.S.-based Cabot Corp. and OM Group; HC Starck of Germany; and Nigncxia of China—corporations that have been linked by a United Nations Panel of Experts to the atrocities in DRC. Extortion, rape, massacres, and bribery are all part of the criminal networks set up and maintained by huge multinational companies. Yet as mining in the Congo by western companies proceeds at an unprecedented rate—some $6 million in raw cobalt alone exiting DRC daily—multinational mining companies rarely get mentioned in human rights reports...

[Vince S.]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-s...cide-in-congo/

Wow, that is truly disgusting. I highly suggest reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Even though that story was written in the late 1800s, much of what goes on in that book is still happening today.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Way Off Bass

this is a typical outsiders view of africa

actually, things are looking up in africa. in most undeveloped countries, they are electing truely democratic leaders who are utilizing said resources (which btw their main resource is land area, not mineral wealth) to provide food for the rest of africa and, vicariously, to their people

the only region of some concern is the most developed: South Africa. I don't know if you know who Kgalema Motlanthe is, but he is SA's newest president, who is very angry and not very educated (I believe he never passed the equivalancy of high school). He is dangerous in that he could really destabilize the region, and has been noted as saying as weapons development could be a "profitable endeavour" for his country

honestly, I'd jump on a plane to Iraq before I would consider showing up in South Africa

South Africa is going to become rapidly unstable. The most stable region is actually Rwanda, they are making huge strides forward, but as the article above suggests, it is off the backs of other countries. Most of Africa is "stable", but it is only a fragile stable. Anything could make the entire region unstable. Hopefully this doesn't turn into that.

lowsound

[awakefie]

I'm a westerner and I pray for people suffering everywhere every night. I'll certainly add this to my list. It doesn't cost anything to pray, it doesn't hurt anything either.

Everyone deserves a better life than waking up wondering if themselves or their family are going to be murdered. Regardless of where they live.

[Visirale]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

The US is the biggest arms dealer in the world, FACT. That is about as political as I can get on that. You are correct about the west having a great big hand causing everything going on in Africa. That isn't hard to see, that is why solutions for African problems that come from the west never work.

lowsound

I definitely agree with this, and it's hard to say anything else without getting too political.

It surprises me how many people are so apathetic about Africa... or even worse... outspokenly are for its destruction and continued genocide.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Visirale

I definitely agree with this, and it's hard to say anything else without getting too political.

It surprises me how many people are so apathetic about Africa... or even worse... outspokenly are for its destruction and continued genocide.

It down right sickens me that so many people are so apathetic about it. I am seriously considering dedicating my life to raising awareness about the continued genocides in Africa. No idea how I would go about it. I had a job offer from "Save the Children", but I didn't follow up on it, really wish that I would have.

lowsound

[mambo4]

What always astounds me is that even tho it seems such a hot bed of human suffering, the music I hear coming from Africa always sounds so positive, vibrant and life- affirming.

(Yet I, growing up free of want and war, I chose to listen to all the dark and teen-angsty stuff I could find.)

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by mambo4

What always astounds me is that even tho it seems such a hot bed of human suffering, the music I hear coming from Africa always sounds so positive, vibrant and life- affirming.

(Yet I, growing up free of want and war, I chose to listen to all the dark and teen-angsty stuff I could find.)

We always long for what we do not have.

lowsound

[MakiSupaStar]

Ugh. I hope they resolve this with no violence.

[iamlowsound]

Just a little update, lots of tension, but it appears as if there hasn't been any more fighting.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...724&refer=home

lowsound

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

You are correct about the west having a great big hand causing everything going on in Africa.

Without getting political I will just say: