The victims of our wealth // Le vittime della nostra ricchezza

Support my reportage about the dramatic human and environmental consequences of the supply chain of coltan, the mineral inside our smartphones

Project visual The victims of our wealth // Le vittime della nostra ricchezza
Successful
59
Contributions
12/08/2016
End date
€3,665
Out of €3,500
104 %

The victims of our wealth // Le vittime della nostra ricchezza

<p> <strong>WHO AM I?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> I am <strong>Stefano Stranges</strong>, a freelance photographer and photoreporter born in Turin (Italy) in 1978. I work in the field of photography since 2005, and I am now working in particular<strong> into the field of reportage and social projects</strong>. You can have a look at all my works <a href="http://www.strangesimage.com/projects/" target="_blank">here</a>.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> In 2016 I started <strong>a project about the Coltan supply chain.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Congo-1476273232" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/357658/Congo-1476273232.jpg">    </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>WHAT'S COLTAN?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Coltan is the mineral that everyone carries around in his or her pocket and which is the object of a long commercial chain that implicates <strong>serious consequences in terms of human and environmental rights. </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> This mineral which is used in the <strong>production of various high tech materials,</strong> is especially fundamental in making <strong>smartphones</strong>. Cell phones were initially created to allow us to be reachable anywhere. Now they’ve become genuine all around instruments essential, not only for communication, but also for documenting everyday life. The compulsive consumption and the continual updating of these objects, fed by by the media’s barrage of ad campaigns, has caused the coltan industry to grow exponentially since the end of the 1990’s. From that point, there has been the <strong>exploitation on the part of large multinationals and the catastrophic consequences regarding the people from areas like DR Congo</strong> which has the largest coltan reserve.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>MY PROJECT</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> My photographic project, therefore, starts in this area of the world, as the initial link in a process that begins with the <strong>extraction of the mineral</strong> followed by the <strong>production of the object </strong>(South East Asia) and then moves onto the excessive use in every corner of the planet, ending up in the <strong>immense African dump sites </strong>(in particular, Ghana).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>THE FIRST STEP: DR CONGO (JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016)</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The photographs that are presented here are part of the result of the first leg.</strong> Visiting the region of <strong>North Kivu</strong>, in particular the Masisi territory, where the country’s most important coltan mines are concentrated, I encountered the predominant problems of the people in the surrounding villages.</p> <p>  </p> <p> At first glance this territory seems like a paradise, the rich green meadows and the terrain acquired mostly by the country’s rich politicians and entrepreneurs within, however, the landscape is broken up by thousands of white plastic tents full of <strong>refugee camps</strong> of families that have escaped from neighboring towns in a context that is characterized by the presence of rebel groups motivated by the lust for power.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_04-1474976690" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/353130/StefanoStranges_04-1474976690.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> The <strong>substantial lack of alternatives</strong> <strong>for survival and the low level of schooling </strong>forces the residents of the entire area to be slaves on their own land and to work as <strong>miners with zero security levels</strong>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_25-1475858770" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/356374/StefanoStranges_25-1475858770.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_18-1474976745" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/353131/StefanoStranges_18-1474976745.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_28-1474976770" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/353132/StefanoStranges_28-1474976770.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> The towns close to the mines such as Rubaya are inhabited by hundreds of fragmented families in which a widow or a mother often cannot even mourn over the body of her loved one because he is buried and abandoned in the chasms of the mountains. The rights and support for these women on the part of the mineral companies are non existent. Help for survival only arrives through the NGOs that operate in the field.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_32-1474976974" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/353133/StefanoStranges_32-1474976974.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Stefanostranges_34-1474977006" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/353135/StefanoStranges_34-1474977006.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> First part of the reportage in the Democratic Republic of Congo was realized thanks to the logistic support of <strong>"Tumaini – Un ponte di solidarietà" Onlus</strong> and <strong>“Incontro fra i popoli” NGO/Onlus</strong>.</p> <p> A first presentation of the work was organized in March 2016 in the "Tumaini – Un ponte di solidarietà" headquarters, in Padua.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In May 2016, a selection of the pictures was projected in Udine (Palazzo della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia), supported by the NGO <strong>"ACCRA".</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Presentazione-1475858514" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/356371/Presentazione-1475858514.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> The support of “Incontro fra i popoli” NGO/Onlus allowed me to produce a <strong>photographic exhibition</strong> that will be hosted in many locations.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> The <strong>first vernissage</strong> was held in <strong>Turin</strong> in June 2016, hosted by the <strong>Holden School </strong>and developed with the help of <strong>B#Art.</strong></p> <p> A <strong>second exhibition</strong> took place in September 2016, in the <strong>Alliance française</strong> Turin office, with the support of the <strong>Centre for African studies</strong> in the framework of the <strong>CreativAfrica </strong><strong>festival</strong>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Both the events hosted <strong>John Mpaliza</strong>, Congolese activist known internationally for his peace walks, which aim is to increase awareness about the bloody conflicts and the social injustices in the Democratic Republic of Congo.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Here <strong>the video of the vernissage</strong> in June:</p> <p>  </p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fplayer.vimeo.com%2Fvideo%2F172284432&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F172284432&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.vimeocdn.com%2Fvideo%2F578032626_1280.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=vimeo" width="540"></iframe></p> <p>  </p> <p> You could visit the exhibition in Italy, in <strong>Padua from 1st to 16th December 2016</strong> and in <strong>Bassano del Grappa (VI) from 3rd to 25th March 2017</strong>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> I<strong>f you want to see the whole reportage, check my website <a href="http://www.strangesimage.com/portfolio/the-victims-of-our-wealth-dr-congo-2016/" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>

Allocation of funds

<p> After documenting the extraction business in DR Congo, my intention is to <strong>show the further steps of the Coltan supply chain (how it’s used for producing goods and how and where these goods end their life cycle).</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>I will travel to Ghana between Jenuary 2017 and February 2017</strong>, around Accra, to document the <strong>world’s largest electronic waste dumps</strong> and the main environmental and health issues related with them.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The crowdfunding will finance the <strong>transport, food, accommodation and logistics costs</strong>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The crowfunding total amount includes therefore:</p> <p> - flight and visas: 700,00 Euros</p> <p> - food and accommodation: 1.300,00 Euros</p> <p> - interpreter / fixer / driver: 1.000,00 Euros  </p> <p>  </p> <p> A part of the total amount will cover crowdfunding costs and rewards shipping (500,00 Euros).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>This reportage will complete the first exhibition</strong> (delivery programmed in <strong>April 2017 - photo selection and printing</strong>).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>WHAT HAPPEN IF MY GOAL IS EXCEEDED?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Should my goal of 3.500,00 euros be exceeded, the money will help me to cover the costs for <strong>printing the photos and producing the second part of the exhibition</strong>. </p> <p>  </p> <p> Do not hesitate to contact me for any further information about the project!</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p>

Rewards

€5

  • 3 contributions
Thanks for your support! Your name will appear in the introductory exhibition panel.

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€10

  • 5 contributions
Thanks and thanks again! Your name will appear in the introductory exhibition panel + you will receive an acknowledgements postcard with photo by email.

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€20

  • 22 contributions
A signed print 10x15 cm from the final work (printed in 99 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€40

  • 10 contributions
A signed print 15x20 cm from the final work (printed in 99 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€70

  • 6 contributions
A signed box set of ten fine art photo 10*15 cm box (printed in 99 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€100

  • 7 contributions
A signed fine art print 20x30 cm from the final work (printed in 9 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€200

A signed fine art print 30x45 cm from the final work (printed in 9 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€300

  • 2 contributions
A signed fine art print 30x45 cm from the final work (printed in 9 copies max) + 1 photo 30x45 fine art from the Congo work + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude!"

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€600

  • 1 contribution
Rental of the exhibition (40 photo minimun) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude! (transport and set up costs excluded)

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€1,000

Rental of the exhibition (40 photo minimun) + vernissage with the author + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude! (transport, set up and author's travel and accomodations costs excluded)

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€1,500

Rental of the exhibition (40 photo minimun) + vernissage with the author + 7 signed fine art print 30x45 cm from the final work (printed in 9 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude! (transport, set up and author's travel and accomodations costs excluded)

Estimated delivery: April 2017

€2,000

Rental of the exhibition (40 photo minimun) + vernissage with the author + 10 signed fine art print 30x45 cm from the final work (printed in 9 copies max) + 1 photo in low resolution each day by email from the work backstage + your name in the introductory exhibition panel + deep gratitude! (transport, set up and author's travel and accomodations costs excluded)

Estimated delivery: April 2017

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