When former University of Wisconsin-Madison student Tosha Songolo visited her family in the Eastern Congo for a week in 2010, she entered a country “clearly torn apart” by the deadliest conflict the world has seen since World War II.
“A lot of the houses didn’t have strong foundations and it was kind of chaotic,” Songolo, whose Congolese family was forced to move numerous times to escape the violence, said. “Even going places, my relatives would be apprehensive about letting me go.”
Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, minerals harvested from mines controlled by rebel groups cause severe turmoil within the nation. Six million people have died since violence began in 1996, and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped, according to UW-Madison Conflict-Free Campus Initiative campus organizer Katy Johnson.
But Johnson said U.S. college students, more than any other demographic, fuel the deadly war by consuming electronics, such as cell phones and computers, which contain these conflict minerals gathered in Congo. “We, without meaning to, play a role in this conflict,” Johnson said. “We are the ones who support these rebel-controlled mines.”
Johnson led an informative session Friday to announce CFCI’s plan to join the 100 other U.S. universities in creating student movements that push university administration to pass resolutions urging companies to produce conflict-free products.
“UW-Madison has such a legacy of being this progressive, politically active campus,” Johnson said. “This is an incredible opportunity for Madison not only to be a leader in the nation but to be a leader in the Big Ten.”
So far, 12 universities have passed resolutions, including Duke and Stanford Universities, according to Johnson.
But passing a conflict-free product resolution through a large university is “tricky,” according to Raising Hope for Congo Campaign Manager JD Stier.
“[The University] may have political connections, corporate connections and personal investments on the line,” Stier said. “Anything that can cost them or the institution money is something to be scared of.”
UW Board of Regent student member Katherine Pointer said if the Regents hesitated to pass the resolution, it would be because of cost.
“This is clearly an important issue students are raising,” Pointer said. “But if it comes down to cost and we can’t afford [it], I don’t think the Regents will pursue it.”
But according to Stier, the resolution would not cost the university money.
“When you are spending your dollars for any consumer of electronics in the world, we should be considering the impact these consumer goods have on the world,” Stier said. “We are asking our universities to put that [consideration] into writing.”
But an ocean away, where money is often the least of peoples' worries, Songolo said she found comfort in her family in the Congo.
"There were people killed 70 km from where I was staying but you wouldn't have known because I was surrounded by so much happiness and joy," Songolo said. "That's how my family lives their daily lives, going to church and celebrating life."
