Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

Kara goes to the mining town of Lubumbashi in southern DRC, near the border of Zambia. He notes that the poor living conditions of those around the mines Ruashi and Étoile du Congo are similar to the conditions of workers back when Lubumbashi was called Élisabethville and run by Belgian colonialists in the early 20th century.

Upon his arrival in Lubumbashi, Kara meets with a government official to get approval for his research. He is given a stamped document that states he has the support of the governor to do his research. The nearby Étoile mine is no longer particularly active, but it was one of the first mines where the state promoted artisanal mining. Kara talks with an artisanal miner who works there named Makaza (Kara has changed his interviewees’ names to protect identities), who says the mining companies do not invest in local infrastructure like running water or electricity.

In 2019, Congo elected a new president, Félix Tshisekedi. Kara meets with the US ambassador to the region, Mike Hammer, who expresses hopes that Tshisekedi will combat corruption in the Congolese government and in the mining sector particularly.

Kara meets with three students from the University of Lubumbashi who are trying to help the artisanal miners.