“I have achieved a lot: organising women’s self-help groups, getting the children to attend school, and providing basic needs such as water, electricity and street lights. Even men could not have done so much. ”
International boycott on mobile phone usage to help raise awareness about the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is driven by the scramble for natural resources and has claimed 5 million lives.
Militias and foreign forces are illegally mining coltan, which is essential for the manufacture of cell phones, in a little known war that began in 1996.
The Cell OUT is a symbolic act to acknowledge the suffering and atrocities committed in DRC while developed countries enjoy modern technology based on the country’s minerals. It is part of a global week of action to ‘break the silence’ on the conflict that kills 45,000 people every month.
To join in simply turn your phone off on 22 October (no texting) and change your voicemail to reflect the message below.
“Did you know that Congo has 80 percent of the world's reserve of Coltan, a natural resource that is central to the operation of our cell phones? As we benefit from coltan over 5 million Congolese have died in the deadliest conflict since World War Two as a result of the scramble for coltan and other minerals that are key to the functioning of modern technology. Join us in solidarity with the Congolese people and turn your phone off for a day”.