[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.15,0:00:03.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to talk to you today
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.11,0:00:06.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about a difficult topic\Nthat is close to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.40,0:00:09.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and closer than you might realize to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.05,0:00:16.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I came to the UK 21 years ago,\Nas an asylum-seeker.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.05,0:00:18.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was 21.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.95,0:00:22.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was forced to leave\Nthe Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.83,0:00:25.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my home, where I was a student activist.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.84,0:00:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would love my children to be able\Nto meet my family in the Congo.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.10,0:00:39.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I want to tell you\Nwhat the Congo has got to do with you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.22,0:00:44.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But first of all,\NI want you to do me a favor.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.29,0:00:50.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can you all please reach into your pockets\Nand take out your mobile phone?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.82,0:00:55.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Feel that familiar weight ...
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.42,0:01:01.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how naturally your finger\Nslides towards the buttons.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.61,0:01:03.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.81,0:01:06.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can you imagine your world without it?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.02,0:01:09.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It connects us to our loved ones,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.52,0:01:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our family, friends and colleagues,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.17,0:01:15.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at home and overseas.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.78,0:01:18.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is a symbol of an interconnected world.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.36,0:01:26.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what you hold in your hand\Nleaves a bloody trail,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.20,0:01:28.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it all boils down to a mineral:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.09,0:01:34.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tantalum, mined in the Congo as coltan.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.42,0:01:37.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is an anticorrosive heat conductor.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.92,0:01:44.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It stores energy in our mobile phones,\NPlayStations and laptops.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.82,0:01:50.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is used in aerospace\Nand medical equipment as an alloy.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.11,0:01:55.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is so powerful\Nthat we only need tiny amounts.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.34,0:01:59.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It would be great\Nif the story ended there.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.21,0:02:03.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unfortunately, what you hold in your hand
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.89,0:02:09.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has not only enabled incredible\Ntechnological development
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.62,0:02:12.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and industrial expansion,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.48,0:02:17.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it has also contributed\Nto unimaginable human suffering.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.09,0:02:20.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since 1996,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.82,0:02:26.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over five million people have died\Nin the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.04,0:02:33.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Countless women, men and children\Nhave been raped, tortured or enslaved.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.08,0:02:37.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rape is used as a weapon of war,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.90,0:02:42.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instilling fear\Nand depopulating whole areas.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.38,0:02:47.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The quest for extracting this mineral
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.35,0:02:52.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has not only aided, but it has fueled
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.03,0:02:55.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the ongoing war in the Congo.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.28,0:02:59.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But don't throw away your phones yet.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.67,0:03:04.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thirty thousand children are enlisted
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.78,0:03:07.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are made to fight in armed groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.16,0:03:14.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Congo consistently scores dreadfully
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.14,0:03:17.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in global health and poverty rankings.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.67,0:03:20.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But remarkably,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.14,0:03:25.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the UN Environmental Programme\Nhas estimated the wealth of the country
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.86,0:03:30.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be over 24 trillion dollars.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.03,0:03:39.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The state-regulated mining\Nindustry has collapsed,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.91,0:03:43.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and control over mines has splintered.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.60,0:03:47.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Coltan is easily controlled\Nby armed groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.05,0:03:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One well-known illicit trade route\Nis that across the border to Rwanda,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.25,0:03:57.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where Congolese tantalum\Nis disguised as Rwandan.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.21,0:04:00.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But don't throw away your phones yet,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.88,0:04:03.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the incredible irony
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.74,0:04:07.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that the technology\Nthat has placed such unsustainable,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.11,0:04:10.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,devastating demands on the Congo
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.14,0:04:16.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the same technology that has brought\Nthis situation to our attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.80,0:04:21.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We only know so much about the situation\Nin the Congo and in the mines
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.74,0:04:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of the kind of communication\Nthe mobile phone allows.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.22,0:04:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As with the Arab Spring,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.53,0:04:33.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during the recent elections in the Congo,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.89,0:04:39.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,voters were able to send text messages\Nof local polling stations
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.96,0:04:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the headquarters\Nin the capital, Kinshasa.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.67,0:04:48.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the wake of the result,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.03,0:04:53.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the diaspora has joined\Nwith the Carter Center,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.75,0:04:57.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Catholic Church and other observers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.13,0:05:00.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to draw attention\Nto the undemocratic result.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.23,0:05:07.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The mobile phone has given\Npeople around the world
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.67,0:05:11.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an important tool towards gaining\Ntheir political freedom.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.96,0:05:17.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has truly revolutionized the way\Nwe communicate on the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.86,0:05:23.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has allowed momentous\Npolitical change to take place.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.57,0:05:28.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, we are faced with a paradox.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.50,0:05:34.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The mobile phone\Nis an instrument of freedom
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.57,0:05:37.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and an instrument of oppression.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.02,0:05:46.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,TED has always celebrated\Nwhat technology can do for us,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.41,0:05:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,technology in its finished form.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.96,0:05:54.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is time to be asking questions\Nabout technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.83,0:05:56.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Where does it come from?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.16,0:05:58.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who makes it?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.82,0:06:00.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for what?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.58,0:06:05.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here, I am speaking directly to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.01,0:06:07.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the TED community,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.77,0:06:11.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to all those who might\Nbe watching on a screen,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.58,0:06:14.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on your phone, across the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.96,0:06:16.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Congo.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.48,0:06:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All the technology is in place\Nfor us to communicate,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.77,0:06:25.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all the technology is in place\Nto communicate this.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.76,0:06:30.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.66,0:06:34.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there is no clear fair-trade solution.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.29,0:06:38.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there has been\Na huge amount of progress.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.67,0:06:42.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The US has recently passed legislation
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.32,0:06:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to target bribery\Nand misconduct in the Congo.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.17,0:06:50.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Recent UK legislation\Ncould be used in the same way.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.73,0:06:57.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In February, Nokia unveiled its new policy\Non sourcing minerals in the Congo,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.00,0:07:04.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there is a petition to Apple\Nto make a conflict-free iPhone.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.49,0:07:10.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are campaigns spreading\Nacross university campuses
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.88,0:07:13.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make their colleges conflict-free.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.34,0:07:15.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we're not there yet.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.49,0:07:22.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to continue\Nmounting pressure on phone companies
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.54,0:07:25.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to change their sourcing processes.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.51,0:07:30.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I first came to the UK, 21 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.27,0:07:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was homesick.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.64,0:07:36.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I missed my family\Nand the friends I left behind.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.84,0:07:40.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Communication was extremely difficult.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.47,0:07:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sending and receiving\Nletters took months --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.20,0:07:46.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you were lucky.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.72,0:07:48.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Often, they never arrived.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.17,0:07:55.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even if I could have afforded\Nthe phone bills home,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.54,0:07:57.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like most people in the Congo,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.96,0:08:00.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my parents did not own a phone line.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.99,0:08:04.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, my two sons --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.41,0:08:10.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,David and Daniel,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.49,0:08:15.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can talk to my parents\Nand get to know them.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.92,0:08:20.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why should we allow
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.73,0:08:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such a wonderful, brilliant\Nand necessary product
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.65,0:08:31.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be the cause of unnecessary suffering
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.60,0:08:32.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for human beings?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.73,0:08:39.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We demand fair-trade food\Nand fair-trade clothes.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.63,0:08:43.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is time to demand fair-trade phones.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.46,0:08:47.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is an idea worth spreading.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.85,0:08:49.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.04,0:08:55.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)