Model Cooperative: Heart of Africa
MODELS
HEART OF AFRICA
Part think-tank incubator, part workshop, and pure purpose at play. Contributors model aspects of big ideas , essentially co-creating initiatives, innovations, and solutions that turn into new cooperative and sustainable paradigms of living.
What happens when we all currently depend on minerals that come mostly from a central source that is located in a highly spirited and critical, violently colonized, and biologically vital area?
Our current hardware technology used to unite us all through cell phones, satellites, and computers depend on the minerals and crystals that come from one central African region – with the Congo at its heart. This expansive biologically features protected national parks such as Virunga, home to one of the last remaining groups of mountain gorillas and certain great apes left on our planet.
More than 70% of the world’s cobalt, one of the most in-demand minerals, is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While we frequently squabble over resources that are found and resourced in many parts of the globe, this presents us with a unique and centralized opportunity to look at exactly what is happening and co-create cooperative solutions moving forward.
PHOTO BY Brent Stirton
Project overview
We are rallying a think tank for a revised cooperative global system surrounding fair distribution when it comes to resources of global dependancy. Countries of the continent’s central Heart of Africa band of land provide the world with trillions of dollars of market wealth and are often the least to benefit. This Model includes geopolitical negotiations, land and mine buy/give backs, community empowerment programming, village enrichment, harmonious decolonization, and more.
STATUS
Brewing. Gathering voices and players. On-the-ground conversations and initiatives in local communities. Currently a think tank and solution circle, moving into actions with integrated results by late 2022. Venturing into international relations, food/agriculture, natural resources, arts/culture, and human empowerment of the region of DRC and surrounding countries such as Rwanda.
- With ground rich with coltan, lithium, gold, and diamond, the wealth of resources under its feet has unfortunately put the country in its suppressed colonized position.
- The Congolese people and their neighboring countries do not own the production mines nor tend to benefit from their extraction.
- War Games 101 tactics such as keeping the masses distracted while takeovers happen behind the scenes have kept the country raging with civil wars raging since the 90s to bolster the extraction of their metals.
- Beyond typically horrific labor conditions, there are often children and elders picking these rocks out of the ground under brutal conditions.
- With the first world push towards electric energy and vehicles (EV), it would all get far worse. Not to mention the continued feed our endless consumer cycle conditioning. This issue must be addressed.
RICH BEYOND REALITY
It has unfortunately become standard in “developed nations” to acknowledge the normal standard of living in many African countries – assumed and accepted – as “third world”. This concept is engineered social division, a conditioned illusion to aid desensualization and separationalism in a bid to not have the consumer (or anyone else) question their own responsibility and hypocrisy in the supply chain. Due to the butterfly effect, this subject may feel heavy and sticky but one thing is quite clear: The Congolese people and their surrounding neighbors are often some of the richest people simply just in spirit alone. With a tendency to be more connected to our indigenous human roots, the connection between ‘Earth and sky’ becomes apparent in their culture of advanced metaphysics that bridges the cosmos with connection to some of the most biorich land on Earth.
REFLECTIONS FOR ALLKIND
The expression of trust and interspecies friendship in the photo shown come through this Virunga National Forest Wildlife Ranger comforting a mountain gorilla who just lost their parent. Park Rangers live a dangerous reality in putting their lives on the line day-to-day to protect the innocent. Animal poaching stems from the manufactured market demand created because if the area’s endangered animal populations are wiped out, it is much easier to access the raw resources of the land. It’s time for the more intelligent and greater ways forward.
Honest reflections are required for this Age of Enlightenment - where light illuminates all shadows.
Do any feelings of fear or insecurity come up when thinking about all nations living as first world status?
Do you believe that we can cooperatively form more fair and balanced agreements to share resources? Why or why not?
Abundance or scar-city? Fear or love?
Open CALL Opportunities:
- Advisory from those with experience and handlings with related eco/geopolitical work and/or players
- Those working with or looking to support people and orgs that work with regional communities and wildlife
- Individuals and facilitators to local/tribal and federal government in DRC, as well as Central African countries, EU, USA, and the 140 countries that are part of China’s BRI aka “New Silk Road” trade band
- Facilitators and negotiators from Bank for International Settlements, WEF, World Bank, etc
- Stew around Land Back and reparations initiatives
- Learn more about Impact Investment and Philanthropic Giving programs
- Related experience, connections, or other offerings to this model
Responses