₦airaland Forum

Op why you do this na. Now I'm forced to go to the nearest joint for this.

BTW looks nice. Your husband is very lucky.

I hate needles. I fear them. Swallow is my choice.

Many Nigerians watch TV and do other tasks at the same time.
I've even seen some wash clothes and watch telly together.

This is how careers start to end. The director better pray it's not the beginning of the end for him.

You'll see worse in clubs.

I got fired a club I picked from the scratch to the top 4 spot

After having those seizures he needed to. I guess he listened to Fat Joe.Good for him.

Possessed she must be.

This is called hating.

Is the op the new owner of nairaland?

Op, are you the new owner of nairaland?
Back to topic, pessimism is part of each of us. It depends on the level you exercise it. You don't go hug a lion because you're optimistic.

speedyboi: *


Btw Ignatio, have you seen the movie as well?

No, only read the review and it's not encouraging to go pay and watch it.

Abuse of milk.

I'm good.

Damn! dude writes like a kid.

VillageBoi: Just found out I am not alone

http://nollypundit./2013/02/19/flower-girl/

That dude killed it...lol.
Honestly if this is how our cinema culture will start... BAD NEWS

You don't expect people to pay much and accept trash.

Nice concept. I like the Sin City effect perfectly done. Soundtrack is good too.

The cost of road construction will sky rocket. Cost of building houses too.

igbo2011: Learn from Keith Harmon Snow.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moXnYWbwph4

Questions they will never answer.

Overview
Why are some conflicts labelled as "genocide"
while others are not? Why do we hear more
about six million Jews exterminated half a
century ago than we do about 10 million
Congolese people exterminated since 1996? Are
black and brown people more prone to genocide
than white people? How is grass-roots activism
for Africa co-opted by intelligence operatives?
What is Hollywood's role in perpetuating or
mythologising genocide?

The real terrorists are the USA, Europe and Israel.

peterphd: Ghost mode should be on that list. Clarence peters is the best director.No contest

Man of the year made it.

I remember making that famous list. Once our had been written we chat freely as we like. The punishments ain't funny but looking back now I laugh.

But before joining that list I used to be a good boy, one of those that help the prefect compile the list. I guess being good got boring.

Which ones are Afro pop, Afro hip hop and producer of the year again?

Choi! See bread.

Some people have a well full of money. I got to beef up my hustle.

What happened to D1 and Keke?

The Netng has released their 2013 list of
the Most Influential People in Entertainment
in Nigeria and awww, look at me there.
#dancingantenna. Hehe. See the full list
after the cut...
They are artistes, actors, thinkers,
entrepreneurs, and captains of industry.
Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent
and sometimes even controversies; their
works shape lives, habits and societies;
their actions have led to some of the
decisions that have stirred the industry
in its current direction. These
remarkable men and women, with lasting
and laudable influence, do not
necessarily make the most popular
people in the industry, but their
actions carry a lot of weight; with the
hope of the future resting on their
shoulders.

2face Idibia : From his artistry to passion
for change, the Pop king of Africa has
continued to use his music as a muse to
influence all. Through his foundation,
‘2face Idibia Reach-Out Foundation ’, Idibia,
an icon by every definition, has dedicated a
great amount of time, effort and resources
towards reaching out to fellow humans in
need.

Alex Okosi: As Senior Vice President and
Managing Director of Viacom
International, Africa , Okosi continues
to showcase Africa to the world and vice
versa with the MTV, BET, Nickelodeon
and Comedy Central platforms. Okosi is one
of the top dogs determining the present and
future of entertainment on TV.

Ali Baba : Still at the top of the food
chain when it concerns comedy in Nigeria,
Ali Baba, a pioneer stand-up comedian is
not only responsible for making the trade
profitable, he continues to use his influence
to hold up the platform for others to
shine.

Amaka Igwe : A strong pillar in
Nollywood, Igwe’s undying love for motion
picture has helped her carve a niche for
herself whether with her famous soap operas
or her annual BOBTV TV expo . Her
Lagos-based radio station, Top Radio has
also become a force to reckon with.

Amin Moussalli: The Lebanese boss
actually started doing business in Nigeria as
far back as 1975 with his AIM architectural
company but his love for broadcasting drove
him to create radio stations Cool FM, Wazobia
FM and later on Nigeria Info with his
daughter Evita in the helm of affairs. These
stations have become one of the biggest
outfits in Nigeria reaching millions in four
different cities.

Audu Maikori : It’s been rocky times at
Chocolate City in the last seven months
but Maikori, a lawyer and entrepreneur has
shown nothing but exemplary skills in
stirring the entertainment label through
murky waters. With A-list acts like M.I.
and Ice Prince, Chocolate City still
remains one of the biggest music labels in
Africa. Don’t be surprised if they announce
an IPO soon.

Ayo Animashaun: Through his Smooth
Promotions company, Animashaun, 43, has
launched some of the most relevant
entertainment platforms including ‘ The
Headies ’ and the 24-hour channel ‘Hip
TV’ which launches on DSTV this month.

Bolanle Austen Peters: Peters is the
soul of Terra Kulture - a highly
recognised cultural hub set up to promote
the richness and diversity of Nigerian
languages, arts and culture. Respected for
enabling the sustenance of live theatre in
Lagos, she’s now executing the big-budget
SARO musical that’s already receiving critical
acclaim. In eight years of existence, Terra
Kulture has organised no less than 60 plays,
over 100 exhibitions, and approximately 10,000
children have been through their language,
culture clubs and excursions.
Biola Alabi : Managing Director a t M-
NET Africa over the last four years, Alabi
has engineered the process of bringing top
African content to our doorsteps. This year,
she birthed the successful and well rated
African Magic Viewer’s Choice
Awards (AMVCAs) .

Chika Nwobi: Nwobi is a serial
entrepreneur. From MTech - a leading
mobile content company in Africa to
-West Africa’s most popular
jobs portal to -Nigeria’s leading
cars/autos website to Kamdora.com a fast
growing e-commerce fashion retail business in
Nigeria, Nwobi has successfully built mobile
and internet-related companies; using unusual
techniques to link IT with entertainment
while delivering value for consumers and
helping Telcos excite a generation in love
with music.

Chris Ubosi: He is the CEO of
Megalectrics Limited , owners of
Premium choice BEAT 99.9FM , retro-styled
Classic FM 93.7 and pidgin-speaking
Naija FM 102.7 , which have all continued
to dominate their respective fields. Ubosi,
who seems to be warming up to the cameras
nowadays has also launched a sister station
in Ibadan and will be setting up a TV
channel real soon .

Clarence Peters : Three of out every
five videos seen on Nigerian TV is directed by
Clarence Peters. As the CEO of a
record label called Capital Hill Records
and a multimedia content creation company
called CAPital Dream Pictures, he has
shot a good number of videos, documentaries,
TV commercials, short films and TV features.
Clarence is no doubt the most sought after
video director in the music industry so much
that his name has become synonymous with
top quality musical videos.

D’banj: In the last 12 months, the self-
styled entertainer has brushed off any kind
of doubt about whether he can progress
career-wise after his split with former
Mo’Hits partner Don Jazzy . Whether it’s
performing at the finale of African Cup of
Nations , collaborating with US artistes,
headlining Hennessy Artistry or becoming the
face of the Bank of Industry, D’banj has
shown constant sheer determination and
dominance. And there’s an indefinitely long
list of young cats praying day and night to
have a quarter of his blessings.
D’banj, Femi Kuti, Biola Alabi and Tunde Kelani

DJ Jimmy JATT: He is rated as one of
the biggest and most iconic deejays in
Africa. An innovator, teacher, speaker and
performer, Jimmy Jatt has helped nurture
the careers and influenced many deejays in
Nigeria. There’s hardly any hiphop artiste in
Nigeria that doesn’t pledge allegiance to the
legendary but unbelievably humble deejay.

Don Jazzy : From music production, Don
Jazzy remains one of the most relevant
entertainment personalities in Africa (a
formula his colleagues have not been able to
crack yet) with every artiste out there
asking for a beat or two from him. Little
wonder he keeps bagging multimillion Naira
endorsement deals. An ambassador for Loya
Milk and MTN, IDJA is the producer every
producer wants to be like, the pop star who
has no single to his name; the enigmatic
music maker that’s giving an entirely new
definition to impresario.

Edi Lawani: Sometimes referred to as the
Godfather, Lawani has built a name in the
corporate and entertainment scene working as
technical consultant, events manager and
adviser to organisations and talent. His
agency, Showbiz Network is one of the
longest running homegrown entertainment
organisations, and many of today’s big names
in technical support and events management
have the bearded gentleman to thank.

Efe Omorogbe : The co-founder and HNIC
of Nigeria’s leading talent management
company, Now Muzik, Omorogbe continues
to be a major force in the development of
entertainment in Nigeria. He recently setup
Now Muzik en.Core, a sister company which
handles events and campaigns.

Emeka Mba: A former Regulatory Affairs
Manager at Multichoice Nigeria and later
Director General of the Nigerian Film and
Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mba’s recent
appointment as Director-General of the
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was
met with applause from stakeholders who
understand what he brings to the table. The
NBC is the regulatory body for broadcast
organisations in Nigeria.

Femi Ayeni: Ayeni, founder of Ultima,
the company which owns two very big
franchises in Nigeria might not have a
popular name but his shows Project Fame
West Africa and Who Wants to be a
Millionaire. Though quiet and publicity
shy, Ayeni has handed many successful
entertainers their careers – that list will
include Iyanya, Chidinma and Frank
Edoho who rose to national fame on
WWTBAM .

Femi Kuti: The son of the late great
Afrobeat legend has clearly carved a niche
for himself, warming up nicely into
contemporary music (working with Wizkid ,
LNC, Jesse Jagz, Durella) and modern
TV (Kuti is a judge on Nigerian Idol ).
These have however not shut him up from
voicing out his opinion against bad
governance.

Funke Akindele : The Nollywood actress
has bagged the highest number of
endorsement deals and produced more
bestselling movies than anyone in her
category. Her hilarious character, Jenifa has
now become one of the most popular
characters in Nollywood. And despite going
through a well-publicized separation,
Akindele’s image remains intact, her following
unaffected; her endorsements intact.

Genevieve Nnaji: Hardly can you
mention top actresses in Africa without
placing her in the top 2. US talk show
host, Oprah Winfrey described her as
the Julia Roberts of Africa, while Elle
magazine recently profiled her as one of
the 7 international acts soon to cross over
to international success . Nnaji’s profiling on
the international scene has been a big boost
to her career, although she has slowed down
on local appearances in recent times.

Ibinabo Fiberesima: She became the
first woman to lead the Actors’ Guild of
Nigeria when she was sworn in as
President in November 2012. Ibinabo
Fiberesima, an actress and a former beauty
queen now presides over one of the most
influential organisations in Nigeria’s
entertainment industry.

Jason Njoku : By creating the iROKO triad-
iROKOtv, iROKING and IROKtv , he
is credited for creating what the
international media has described as the
‘Netflix of Africa,‘ Njoku has combined
technology and creativity to satisfy the
ever-growing needs of Nollywood fans across
the world, ranking in the Forbes ‘African
millionaires to watch’ list. His idea now
caters for millions of Nigerians who chose to
go online to source music and Nollywood
movies.

King Sunny Ade : A perfect example of
consistency, King Sunny Ade boasts of a
career that has spanned over five decades.
KSA is an important voice in the Nigerian
entertainment industry particularly in regards
to music as he uses his influence, contacts
and resources to affect major decisions in
many of the music organisations; while
serving as mentor and inspiration to many.

Kunle Afolayan: He is one of the most
prolific film directors in Nigeria. From his
debut production ‘ Irapad a ‘ to the
critically reviewed action-drama ‘ Figurine‘,
the accounting graduate has shown finesse in
all his work. His recent project, October 1,
still in the making has generated the most
publicity-ever for a yet to be released
flick. Afolayan is seen by many pundits as
the face of ‘new Nollywood’.

KWAM 1 : A prolific recording artist,
KWAM1 updated the Fuji style
incorporating Western instruments to give it
that youth-oriented theme. That singular
innovation opened up the genre to a
hitherto uninterested segment. With a career
now spanning over three decades, the self-
acclaimed King of Fuji music continues to
influence and appeal both the old and
young in fuji other genres.

Linda Ikeji : From gossip to breaking news
stories, Linda Ikeji’s blog has become a
hotspot for many online readers. From a
business and career that has taken her seven
years to build, Miss Ikeji’s blog has become a
phenomenal success earning her millions in
annual turnover; building a profile as
Nigeria’s most successful blogger. What that
means? The bachelorette now belongs to the
elite group of opinion moulders and news
shapers.

M.I : They call him the Chairman. Jude
Abaga aka M.I . has set a standard for
aspiring rappers, for being able to appeal
both to the so called hiphop heads and
those with no idea in the world what the
art form is about. He is sometimes regarded
as the best rapper in Nigeria and has a lot
in fan base to show for it.

Mo’ Abudu : Following the huge success of
her talk show ‘Moments with Mo‘,
Mosunmola Abudu has built for
herself a strong repertoire. Often referred
to as the Oprah Winfrey of Africa, her show
for years enjoyed high ratings on DSTV .
Recently she launched her own channel,
EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first global black
entertainment network.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde : As one of
the most decorated actresses in Africa,
Omotola’s scored a bygone when she made it
to TIME magazine’s 2013 edition of the ‘100
Most Influential People in the World’ . Her TV
reality series, ‘ Omotola: The Real Me’
generated a landmark viewership on M-NET’s
Africa Magic when it debuted, and the
mother-of-four is now warming up for
international break.

Psquare: Sold out shows and tours in
Africa, Europe and America, earth
shaking hit songs and videos. A multitude of
fans stadiums cannot contain. Psquare have
been on the top 3 mark for so long it’s
beginning to look like their birth right.

Peace Fiberesima: For 12 years she has
been behind the African Movie Awards (AMAA) ,
gathering movie stars from all over Africa.
Fiberesima has positioned the awards show as
one of the most credible and consistent
honorary shows. Often described as the
‘African Oscars‘, AMAA awards has now become
a standard for actors to measure their
performance every year.

Rotimi Pedro : With Nigerian Idol , X-
Factor and Nigeria’s Got Talent
grabbing big market shares, Rotimi Pedro,
the Optima Media Group‘s founder, is
rapidly becoming a major force to reckon
with. The sports veteran and his team are
delivering entertainment to millions of
Nigerians while giving many an opportunity
to kick off their careers. And he’s just
secured the right to launch Bloomberg here,
according to NET findings.

Sam Onyemelukwe: He earned the
rights to bring the foremost music
channel, TRACE TV to Nigeria building it from
the scratch. Onyemelukwe, a former country
manager for MTV has utilized his experience
and knowledge in the terrain to establish
TRACE TV as a channel of choice for many
young Nigerians.

Tajuddeen Adepetu : From what began
with creating content programming for
several terrestrial TV stations, Adepetu has
gone on to establish his own cable TV
channel and TV station. Both Soundcity
and ONTV , popular among young Nigerians,
have now become household names when it
comes to pure entertainment. Other assets
include Spice TV which wil launch as a full
channel on DSTV in a matter of months, and
social media platform Buddie.

The Murray-Bruces : The Murray-Bruces
have played many major roles in taking
Nigerian entertainment to the next level.
Spearheaded by Ben Murray-Bruce, the family
has not only succeeded in radio and TV
broadcasting, but also made cinema culture
fashionable again, with the Silverbird Cinemas.
Their ‘Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria‘ pageant
has lost credibility and popularity, but
remains the nation’s leading pageant.

Tony Okoroji: Okoroji is one of the most
important factors in collective rights
management and administration in Nigeria.
Working with the Copyright Society of
Nigeria (COSON), Okoroji has spearheaded the
recognition of mechanical and associated
rights, while making sure radio stations, TV
channels and others who exploit music pay
what’s due rights owners. The jury is still
out on whether that segment should be
liberalized.

Tunde Kelani: A pioneer and veteran by
every definition, Kelani ’s brilliance in
cinematography and storytelling is second to
none. With over 20 films made under his
Mainframe Productions, Kelani has been setting
standards for as long as we can remember.
The movie producer/director/writer is one of
the major influences in the Nigerian movie
industry till date.

Uche Eze: She is the popular blogger and
owner of fashion and lifestyle blog
BellaNaija. BellaNaija remains a one stop
shop for single and married women who are
interested in wedding news, gossip and
fashion. And even though the likes
of Linda Ikeji have surpassed her in
ranking, Bella remains queen, with enough
international acclaim to last a lifetime.

Wizkid : At just 23, Ayo ‘Wizkid’
Balogun is a kid whose achievements will
make some legends jealous. From an unsure
wannabe, the hit-maker has grown to become
a superstar, with a strong influence on
today’s sound while many teens are feeding
daily on his style and- permit us – swagger.
Now warming up to be an entrepreneur, Wizzy
has it all working.

http://lindaikeji..com/2013/10/the-netngs-most-influential-people-in.html?showComment=1381316910231&m=1

UN is just a cover being used to exploit the country more.

Copied and saved. This is the best daily guide.

I feel sorry for this country. Colonialism is evil.

The Democratic Republic of Congo
is potentially one of the richest
countries on earth, but colonialism,
slavery and corruption has turned it
into one of the poorest, writes
historian Dan Snow.

The world's bloodiest conflict since World
War II is still rumbling on today.
It is a war in which more than five million
people have died, millions more have been
driven to the brink by starvation and disease
and several million women and girls have been
raped.
The Great War of Africa, a conflagration that
has sucked in soldiers and civilians from nine
nations and countless armed rebel groups, has
been fought almost entirely inside the
borders of one unfortunate country - the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is a place
seemingly blessed
with every type of
mineral, yet
consistently rated
lowest on the UN
Human Development
Index, where even
the more fortunate
live in grinding
poverty.
I went to the Congo
this summer to find
out what it was
about the country's
past that had
delivered it into the hands of unimaginable
violence and anarchy.
The journey that I went on, through the
Congo's abusive history, while travelling
across its war-torn present, was the most
disturbing experience of my career.
I met rape victims, rebels, bloated politicians
and haunted citizens of a country that has
ceased to function - people who struggle to
survive in a place cursed by a past that
defies description, a history that will not
release them from its death-like grip.
The Congo's apocalyptic present is a direct
product of decisions and actions taken over
the past five centuries.

In the late 15th Century an empire known as
the Kingdom of Kongo dominated the western
portion of the Congo, and bits of other
modern states such as Angola.
It was sophisticated, had its own aristocracy
and an impressive civil service.
When Portuguese traders arrived from Europe
in the 1480s, they realised they had stumbled
upon a land of vast natural wealth, rich in
resources - particularly human flesh.
The Congo was home to a seemingly
inexhaustible supply of strong, disease-
resistant slaves. The Portuguese quickly found
this supply would be easier to tap if the
interior of the continent was in a state of
anarchy.
They did their utmost to destroy any
indigenous political force capable of curtailing
their slaving or trading interests.
Money and modern weapons were sent to
rebels, Kongolese armies were defeated, kings
were murdered, elites slaughtered and secession
was encouraged.
By the 1600s, the once-mighty kingdom had
disintegrated into a leaderless, anarchy of
mini-states locked in endemic civil war. Slaves,
victims of this fighting, flowed to the coast
and were carried to the Americas.
About four million people were forcibly
embarked at the mouth of the Congo River.
English ships were at the heart of the trade.
British cities and merchants grew rich on the
back of Congolese resources they would never
see.

This first engagement with Europeans set the
tone for the rest of the Congo's history.
Development has been stifled, government has
been weak and the rule of law non-existent.
This was not through any innate fault of the
Congolese, but because it has been in the
interests of the powerful to destroy,
suppress and prevent any strong, stable,
legitimate government. That would interfere -
as the Kongolese had threatened to interfere
before - with the easy extraction of the
nation's resources. The Congo has been utterly
cursed by its natural wealth.
The Congo is a massive country, the size of
Western Europe.

Stanley's expeditions opened up the Congo for
exploitation by King Leopold
Limitless water, from the world's second-
largest river, the Congo, a benign climate and
rich soil make it fertile, beneath the soil
abundant deposits of copper, gold, diamonds,
cobalt, uranium, coltan and oil are just some
of the minerals that should make it one of
the world's richest countries.
Instead it is the world's most hopeless.
The interior of the Congo was opened up in
the late 19th Century by the British-born
explorer Henry Morton Stanley, his dreams of
free trading associations with communities he
met were shattered by the infamous King of
the Belgians, Leopold, who hacked out a vast
private empire.
Congo rubber was in high demand after the
pneumatic tyre appeared on the market in
1888
The world's largest supply of rubber was
found at a time when bicycle and automobile
tyres, and electrical insulation, had made it a
vital commodity in the West.
The late Victorian bicycle craze was enabled
by Congolese rubber collected by slave
labourers.
To tap it, Congolese men were rounded up by
a brutal Belgian-officered security force, their
wives were interned to ensure compliance and
were brutalised during their captivity. The men
were then forced to go into the jungle and
harvest the rubber.
Disobedience or resistance was met by
immediate punishment - flogging, severing of
hands, and death. Millions perished.
Tribal leaders capable of resisting were
murdered, indigenous society decimated, proper
education denied.
A culture of rapacious, barbaric rule by a
Belgian elite who had absolutely no interest
in developing the country or population was
created, and it has endured.
In a move supposed to end the brutality,
Belgium eventually annexed the Congo
outright, but the problems in its former
colony remained.
Mining boomed, workers suffered in appalling
conditions, producing the materials that fired
industrial production in Europe and America.
Uranium used to construct the atomic bomb
was sourced from Congo
In World War I men on the Western Front and
elsewhere did the dying, but it was Congo's
minerals that did the killing.
The brass casings of allied shells fired at
Passchendaele and the Somme were 75%
Congolese copper.
In World War II, the uranium for the nuclear
bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki came
from a mine in south-east Congo.
Western freedoms were defended with Congo's
resources while black Congolese were denied
the right to vote, or form unions and
political associations. They were denied
anything beyond the most basic of educations.
They were kept at an infantile level of
development that suited the rulers and mine
owners but made sure that when independence
came there was no home-grown elite who
could run the country.
Independence in 1960 was, therefore,
predictably disastrous.
Bits of the vast country immediately
attempted to break away, the army mutinied
against its Belgian officers and within weeks
the Belgian elite who ran the state evacuated
leaving nobody with the skills to run the
government or economy.

Of 5,000 government jobs pre-independence,
just three were held by Congolese and there
was not a single Congolese lawyer, doctor,
economist or engineer.
Chaos threatened to engulf the region. The
Cold War superpowers moved to prevent the
other gaining the upper hand.
Sucked into these rivalries, the struggling
Congolese leader, Patrice Lumumba, was
horrifically beaten and executed by Western-
backed rebels. A military strongman, Joseph-
Desire Mobutu, who had a few years before
been a sergeant in the colonial police force,
took over.
Mobutu became a tyrant. In 1972 he changed
his name to Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu
Wa Za Banga, meaning "the all-powerful
warrior who, because of his endurance and
inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to
conquest, leaving fire in his wake".
The West tolerated him as long as the
minerals flowed and the Congo was kept out
of the Soviet orbit.
He, his family and friends bled the country
of billions of dollars, a $100m palace was
built in the most remote jungle at Gbadolite,
an ultra-long airstrip next to it was designed
to take Concorde, which was duly chartered
for shopping trips to Paris.
Dissidents were tortured or bought off,
ministers stole entire budgets, government
atrophied. The West allowed his regime to
borrow billions, which was then stolen and
today's Congo is still expected to pay the
bill.
In 1997 an alliance of neighbouring African
states, led by Rwanda - which was furious
Mobutu's Congo was sheltering many of those
responsible for the 1994 genocide - invaded,
after deciding to get rid of Mobutu.
A Congolese exile, Laurent Kabila, was dredged
up in East Africa to act as a figurehead.
Mobutu's cash-starved army imploded, its
leaders, incompetent cronies of the president,
abandoning their men in a mad dash to escape.
Mobutu took off one last time from his
jungle Versailles, his aircraft packed with
valuables, his own unpaid soldiers firing at
the plane as it lumbered into the air.
Rwanda had effectively conquered its titanic
neighbour with spectacular ease. Once installed
however, Kabila, Rwanda's puppet, refused to
do as he was told.
Again Rwanda invaded, but this time they were
just halted by her erstwhile African allies
who now turned on each other and plunged
Congo into a terrible war.
Foreign armies clashed deep inside the Congo
as the paper-thin state collapsed totally and
anarchy spread.
Hundreds of armed groups carried out
atrocities, millions died.
Ethnic and linguistic differences fanned the
ferocity of the violence, while control of
Congo's stunning natural wealth added a
terrible urgency to the fighting.
Forcibly conscripted child soldiers corralled
armies of slaves to dig for minerals such as
coltan, a key component in mobile phones,
the latest obsession in the developed world,
while annihilating enemy communities, raping
women and driving survivors into the jungle
to die of starvation and disease.
Bags of coltan, used in mobile phones, and
manganese are carried at a mine
A deeply flawed, partial peace was patched
together a decade ago. In the far east of
the Congo, there is once again a shooting war
as a complex web of domestic and
international rivalries see rebel groups clash
with the army and the UN, while tiny
community militias add to the general
instability.
The country has collapsed, roads no longer
link the main cities, healthcare depends on aid
and charity. The new regime is as grasping as
its predecessors.
I rode on one of the trainloads of copper
that go straight from foreign-owned mines, to
the border, and on to the Far East, rumbling
past shanty towns of displaced, poverty-
stricken Congolese.
The Portuguese, Belgians, Mobutu and the
present government have all deliberately
stifled the development of a strong state,
army, judiciary and education system, because
it interferes with their primary focus, making
money from what lies under the Earth.
The billions of pounds those minerals have
generated have brought nothing but misery
and death to the very people who live on
top of them, while enriching a microscopic
elite in the Congo and their foreign backers,
and underpinning our technological revolution
in the developed world.
The Congo is a land far away, yet our
histories are so closely linked. We have
thrived from a lopsided relationship, yet we
are utterly blind to it. The price of that
myopia has been human suffering on an
unimaginable scale.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24396390