Purpose: To convince my audience not to buy products from SONY.

Thesis: Sony has used and is using coltan illegally mined in the Democratic of Congo.

Introduction:I. Everyone in this room owns a laptop, cell phone, or video game system. Do you know who

worked to make the different parts in the gadget and where the parts came from?A. I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you, but sadly many major electronics companies are more

interested in profit than integrity.B. In the next couple minutes I will be giving you the facts about the mining and selling of

the mineral coltan, and how by buying products from SONY we have contributed to the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Body:II. ?

A. What is coltan and why is it so important?1. Coltan is a metallic ore used to make another substance named tantalum. 2. According to Earthfirst.com, “Tantalum’s unique ability to withstand extremely

high temperatures makes it the perfect material for electric capacitors, which are used to store energy….in an electronic device.”

3. How it connects to the Congo --- because 80% of the earth’s supply of coltan lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

B. Those who mine coltan out of the DRC are taking advantage of locals. 1. Rebel militias control most of eastern Congo for the resources contained there.2. These militias either run mines themselves or in conglomeration with foreign

companies3. In the worst areas, natives are forced to work in the mines, and in the lucky

ones, natives are paid somewhere between $1-$5 a week. 4. To bring it to another level, Rwanda and some other countries are known to back

militias in order to profit from Congo’s valuable resources. Proof of this is the fact that Rwanda contains no coltan, yet they export millions of dollars of it a year.

C. Unfortunately, many who are buying tantalum, such as SONY, care more about profit than integrity.

1. SONY was exposed for knowingly using illegally-mined Congo coltan for their production of Playstation 2s. Oona King, a former member of the British Parliament laments the use of Congo coltan when she says, “Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms” (globalinvestmentwatch.com).

2. Since they were exposed, they changed who they are buying it from, but they have not 100% legitimized their sources.

3. David Barouski is quoted in the article from towardfreedom.com saying, “SONY and other companies like it, have the benefit of plausible deniability…But statistical analysis shows it to be nearly inconceivable that SONY made all its PlayStations without using Congolese coltan.”

4. Here’s the deal: middle men are SONY’s ally… 5. The tantulum parts used in current production, according to a SONY

spokesperson, “are manufactured mostly from independent parts and components that manufacturers procured externally. The material suppliers source their original material from multiple mines in various countries. It is therefore hard for us to know what the supply chain mix is," he said. "I am happy to state to you that to the best of our knowledge, (SONY) is not using the material about which you have expressed concern" (Toward Freedom).

D. You tell me… why are they vague in answering the question “Do you use Congo coltan?”

Conclusion:III. Sony has used and is using coltan illegally mined in the Democratic of Congo.

A. You have the facts and you need to make the choice.1. Will you buy from a company that gets materials soaked in blood?2. What is more important? A nice TV and Playstation 3 or knowing you did not

put more money towards the oppression of innocents in the Congo?B. It is possible to not buy from SONY and still live a full life.

1. Find alternatives. When considering a purchase from another company, call them and ask them where they get their materials from.

2. If you want to go a step further, take the money you were going to use to buy a SONY product and give it to a Congo-aid agency.

C. I have given you the facts. Don’t buy from SONY.

Other companies: Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Alcatel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard , IBM, Lucent, Sony Ericsson

Works Cited

"African Minerals and Electronics: Technology Soaked in Blood." Earth First. 17 July 2008. 9 Nov. 2008 <http://earthfirst.com/tag/technology/>.

Carlson, Tasha. "Blood Cell Phones." The Gustavian Weekly 31 Oct. 2008. Gustavus Adolphus College. 31 Oct. 2008. 9 Nov. 2008 <http://weekly.blog.gustavus.edu/2008/10/31/blood-cell-phones/>.

"Coltan: What You Should Know." Friends of the Congo. 8 Nov. 2008. <http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/new/coltan.php>.

Lasker, John. "Inside Africa’s Playstation War." Toward Freedom. 8 July 2008. 9 Nov. 2008 <http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1352/1/>.

Richardson, John. "Mining in the Congo for Playstation 2." Global Investment Watch. 25 July 2008. 8 Nov. 2008 <http://globalinvestmentwatch.com/2008/07/25/mining-in-congo-for-playstation-2/>.