The pillage that fueled America's tech booms

Cobalt mining is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. And it's also one of the most essential: cobalt is what powers the batteries in your smartphone, your laptop, the electric car you felt good about buying. More than three-quarters of the world's cobalt supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose abundant resources have drawn greed and grifters for centuries. This week on our series *Hidden Histories*, we reveal the fight for control of those resources, and for the dignity of the people who produce them. (This episode originally aired in 2023) **Guests:**  **Siddharth Kara,** author of *Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives* **Adam Hochschild,** author of *King Leopold’s Ghost* **Ramona Austin,** art historian and former curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art **Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja,** African and global studies Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina and former UN ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy