February 5, 2026
106 years ago W. E. B. Du Bois warned us of what was coming to Africa. He realized since the "civilized" world was no longer able to kidnap people and send them to slavery in distance lands, they would create a new slavery right in Africa itself. Depriving the people of their land and then forcing them to toil, all for the benefit of the wealthy in the west.
This week over 200 people were killed in eastern Congo when the rare earth metals mine they were working collapsed. We all know that this slavery makes western electronics firms wealthy beyond measure while poisoning the people who are forced to work in these unregulated hell holes.
I highly recommend reading the book Darkwater by W.E.B. Du Bois. It is in the public domain and you should be able to get a pdf for free. Also, hold on to your electronics for as long as possible and when they can no longer function, find a place that will recycle the materials it was built from.
Links:
Story on the mine collapse from ABC News
Darkwater from the Internet Archive
