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A review by shannon_magee
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Some quotes:
“How can a sustainable future be built through sacrificing the very bearers of that future, through depriving children’s well-being, and worse even, through depriving children the right to be?”
“The biggest problem faced by the Congo’s artisanal miners is that stakeholders up the chain refuse to accept responsibility for them, even though they all profit in one way or another from their work.”
“Meaningful solutions cannot be devised if they are devoid of direct input from those the solutions are meant to assist.”
There are so many things I learned from this book - about the “clean” energy production chain, about cobalt mining, and about Congolese history. The research and firsthand accounts in this book are a significant reminder that all systems and all communities across our world interact and overlap, even if we cannot see where they touch at first. As such, it’s a reminder that when we’re alerted to inequities and injustice in systems and events all over the world, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on them, then to speak out against the injustice, and do what we can to support the communities most directly affected, according to their expressed needs.
This is a painful, but powerful read and a very necessary one. I have much respect for the author for his work in researching, interviewing, and sharing this with us, and to all those who spoke with him and worked with him in the Congo, who shared their stories to get word out to the rest of us so we can wake up and step up.
“How can a sustainable future be built through sacrificing the very bearers of that future, through depriving children’s well-being, and worse even, through depriving children the right to be?”
“The biggest problem faced by the Congo’s artisanal miners is that stakeholders up the chain refuse to accept responsibility for them, even though they all profit in one way or another from their work.”
“Meaningful solutions cannot be devised if they are devoid of direct input from those the solutions are meant to assist.”
There are so many things I learned from this book - about the “clean” energy production chain, about cobalt mining, and about Congolese history. The research and firsthand accounts in this book are a significant reminder that all systems and all communities across our world interact and overlap, even if we cannot see where they touch at first. As such, it’s a reminder that when we’re alerted to inequities and injustice in systems and events all over the world, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on them, then to speak out against the injustice, and do what we can to support the communities most directly affected, according to their expressed needs.
This is a painful, but powerful read and a very necessary one. I have much respect for the author for his work in researching, interviewing, and sharing this with us, and to all those who spoke with him and worked with him in the Congo, who shared their stories to get word out to the rest of us so we can wake up and step up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Rape, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Slavery, Violence, Sexual assault, and Grief