Oil and Mining Interests in Africa

When President Bush made a one-week tour of the African continent in early July 2003, the U.S. public heard a lot about human suffering and conflict there. The tragic AIDS epidemic and the toll of bloody wars are critical issues that should be examined in-depth. Yet, one key component seems to be missing from the coverage: multinational corporate interests and their effects on people in African nations. On this edition of Making Contact, we take a look at some examples: In Tanzania a Canadian-based corporation is accused of burying alive artisan miners in order to acquire control of a gold mine; and, the drive for oil has sparked political and social upheavals in Sudan and Angola. – www.radioproject.org