The Double-Edged Phone

There can be no dispute that technology has vastly improved our lives. From the advanced medical equipment that helps keep us alive when we are in need to our mobile phones that are functionally computers we can hold in our hand and allow us to communicate with each other instantly across the globe. But this technology comes to us with a high cost for some. The TED Talk I am reporting on is by Bandi Mbubi, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he is calling for all of us to take a deeper look into where those materials came from, the ones that make up our phones and many other of our high tech devices.

Mr. Mbubi's mood is somber throughout the majority of the talk, which is expected given the subject matter. There is the occasional joke and spattering of laughter, but a serious tone pervades this demonstration. He begins discussing tantalum, a metal with a highly corrosive-resistant property that is mined in his homeland. Tantalum is used in phones, medical equipment, computers and many other devices to store energy. The slides he shows throughout the presentation are powerful, as are the facts he states regarding the state of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the havoc this material has caused. The state mining operations have all failed, with mining in control of armed groups. The slides he uses show us the toll this has taken on the people, via their low standards of living and health, and the pictures of children with guns. It is heart wrenching to see and hear.


"But don't throw away your phones just yet." Mr. Mbubi repeats this throughout the discussion, and the path he is taking us on soon becomes apparent. The very substance that is causing these serious problems for the Democratic Republic of Congo is also helping shed light on the situation. He contrasts the Arab Spring to that of the elections that have taken place in his homeland, where mobile phones were used to show where corruption was taking place. "The mobile phone is an instrument of freedom and an instrument of oppression." Mr. Mbubi hopes that by speaking with the TED community he can use the very technology that is wreaking havoc on the people of his homeland to help save it.  The information he then provides show us that while governments and companies are starting to deal with this problem, more action is required from us all. Free Trade Cell Phones? It's time.


While the idea that the resources that fuel our technology were harvested in exploitative ways was not new to me, this fact filled TED talk was eye opening. 5 million people killed. Children recruited into armed groups. A country brutalized. But don't take my word for it, watch Mr. Mbubi.