Cell Phones for Bad

by Michael Bear · 2009-05-19 06:41:00 UTC
Topics:

[Enough Project - Come Clean 4 Congo]

The previous post was about using cell phones for good - this one looks at the dark side of cell phones.  And yes, very dark.  Tho it does involve a potential trip to Hollywood, so there's that.

The Enough Project has just launched the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest, in partnership with YouTube.  The campaign highlights the connection between the illicit mineral trade in eastern Congo, violence against women, and the cell phones we use everyday.

According to Enough Executive Director John Norris:

"Much of the violence in eastern Congo is driven by armed groups competing to dominate the illicit minerals trade. These are the same minerals that ultimately end up in our personal electronics devices such as mobile phones, laptops and digital cameras. It seems only fitting that we can use something like YouTube and the huge creativity of its users to help end the scourge of conflict minerals."

[To learn more about the horrific prevalence of rape in eastern Congo, see here.]

The Come Clean 4 Congo contest works as follows:

"Between now and July 1, submit a video on the Come Clean 4 Congo page on YouTube. At the end of the summer, our panel of celebrity judges - Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, actress Sonya Walger from ABC’s Lost, and Oscar-nominated director Wim Wenders - will select the most compelling and creative video and fly the winning filmmaker to Los Angeles (from within the United States), where the video will be screened at an entertainment industry event."

Enough is also urging electronics companies to sign the Conflict Minerals Pledge, certifying that their products are 'conflict free'.

Michael Bear
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