Democratic republic of the CONGO

Poverty and impoverishment
Creates in man a need
To suffer with his family
They are owned and robbed indeed
Underfed and down at heel
Unable to pay ones way
So drawn into great dangers
Just hopeful they can pay

In the Congo there are minerals
COLTAN and Cobalt they
Are used by multi nationals
In computers so a way
Of encouraging the poorest
To mine these rocks and try
To make ends meet for the elite
Who pursue their profits high

Artisanal mining below the poverty line
Puts families in great danger
The rigours of their mine
Dug out by hand and children
Made to scramble in the dust
They truly scratch a living
And feel the worlds disgust

Slavery its slavery its vile and dangerous
They
Suffer many injuries and die along the way
Children slave all through the day
To eke out something for
Their families perhaps a bowl of rice
And ofcourse they break the law

China is there and is buying
Up the coltan every day
Its hell on earth for everyone
And the children really play
Into the corporate puzzle
Into the world wide need
For lithium ion batteries
So the rich now can succeed

Children in the west with all their gadgets
Children in the Congo slaves at 5
Worse than victorian Britain
All these children smitten
And many many of them don’t survive
Cobalt dust is injurious and evil
Desperation causes families too
Damage vital river beds and suffer
Mercury tailings
Cyanide such ignorance
Creating myriad failings

Destruction of the wilderness
Of national parks as well
Wild animals are suffering
From what is man made hell
Poverty leads many into mining as we see
And the corporates are earning
Really massively

The families are angst ridden
Suffering every day
Anguished and tormented
And uncared for its the way
The west just pays the piper
The east just suffers more
The slaves and there are many
All work outside the law

Other peoples children
Doomed by our response
Wretched and despondent
Every child here wants
A laptop or a smart phone
Whilst katangan children die
Sacrificing everything
Whilst the corporate media lie

It is abuse and harassment
A curse on those who slave
Karma few imagine
The lives of those now grave
And as we all want more and more
So more children will die
Far away in terror
Where no one hears them cry.