The grimmest travelogue I have ever read. This blew me away. The author’s style is blunt, clear and succinct, which makes this very readable and fast.

The subject matter is another story though. Kara structures his book carefully, taking the reader on a trip from Kinshasa to the deepest parts of the Congo, to site after site where all manner of human rights abuses take place. He pulls no punches, naming companies and describing the roles of historical figures in the exploitation of the miners.

Along the way we learn a ton about the colonial history of the Congo, from King Leopold, through short-lived independence and the manipulations, assassinations and interference by Western governments, to today, where the most valuable companies on the planet are complicit in the slavery, abuse and all-around awfulness that is the cobalt trade in the DRC.

He makes it absolutely clear that there is no way these companies have clean hands. The materials in any rechargeable modern electronics almost certainly were supplied with the efforts of artisanal miners (what a term) who suffer unbelievable conditions, child labour, indentured servitude, physical and sexual assault, and more.

He also makes it clear that this is willful ignorance on the part of the companies. It took surprisingly little effort from a sole journalist to expose this. Apple has no excuse.

(I’m aware that the phone I’m typing this on makes me part of the problem.)

It is eye-opening. It should open the floodgates for broader investigation and action. The companies that rely on these materials could eliminate these problems almost immediately if they had the will, and still be enormously profitable.

This is outstanding, upsetting and essential reading.