Why Congo?

• Cobalt— 70%-90 of the world’s supply; essential for lithium-ion batteries (phones, laptops, EVs).

• Coltan (Columbite–Tantalite) — used to make tantalum capacitors in electronics.

• Copper — vital for electrical wiring and green tech.

• Lithium (emerging) — used for batteries (Congo has reserves still being explored).

• Gold — mined extensively, often illegally; a major source of conflict funding.

• Tin — used for soldering in electronics.

• Tungsten — used in metal alloys and electronics.

• Zinc — for industrial and battery uses.

• Platinum & Palladium — used in catalytic converters and luxury jewelry.

• Silver — found in combination with other ores.

• Rubber — historically extracted under brutal colonial conditions (King Leopold II’s era).

• Palm oil — used in global food, cosmetics, and cleaning industries.

• Timber (hardwood forests) — valuable tropical woods (teak, mahogany).

• Coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar, and cotton — fertile regions for export crops.

Even beyond extractive resources, Congo is home to:

• The Congo Rainforest — the world’s second-largest rainforest (vital for global oxygen and carbon absorption).

• Rare biodiversity — including mountain gorillas, okapi, and bonobos (endemic to Congo).

• Rich music, art, and spiritual traditions — a source of soft power and cultural export

• Diamonds — Congo is among the world’s top diamond producers (especially industrial diamonds).

• Iron ore — for steel production.

• Manganese — used in steel and batteries.

• Lead — industrial and battery use.

• Uranium — used historically; radioactive material mined since the 1940s (used in the Manhattan Project).

• Nickel — industrial alloy applications.

• Niobium — used in electronics and superconductors.

• Hydropower potential — Congo’s Inga Dam is one of the world’s largest potential energy projects.

• Water — the Congo River is the second-largest river on Earth by volume, with vast freshwater reserves.

• Crude oil & natural gas — found mainly in western DRC (offshore and onshore).

Congo’s modern history was shaped by one of the darkest chapters in colonialism. In the late 1800s, Belgium’s King Leopold II claimed the Congo as his personal property — not a country, a possession. Under his rule, millions were forced to harvest rubber and ivory under brutal conditions. Hands were cut off, families were torn apart, villages burned. Congo became the chained elephant of the world — powerful, rich, majestic, yet violently restrained for the profit of others.

This legacy of extraction never fully ended; it simply changed forms. And that’s why we exist: to honor the truth and help build what was destroyed.