Theyre taking milk, bread and education away from the miles of poor children. It makes it very hard to receive support from society, which is being deprived of our culture with little public and private support from home. Latin americas most talented filmmakers turn to hollywood or american platforms like hbo or netflix landing video symphony gladto. The great, impossible, always understood the role of culture and in that sense, weve been colonized by the Foreign Entertainment industry. Its great, we enjoy it. But we also need room for other coaches to express themselves so that we can recognize all diversity as a human race. That is what i think gives relevance to the chilean films in the wall to go about some of you. Even when local filmmakers managed to complete a movie, getting them shown is a major challenge. Internally. For example, theres only one distributor for locally made films, nearly all, all the rest of from the United States. And so not surprisingly, nearly all of the movies that are shown in International Movie chains like this one are also from the us. Even if you can get your local moving through the door here, with rare exceptions, its taken off and this being almost as soon as it gets on that is unless theyre nominated for an oscar, while the lack of local resources and political will from the Public Sector persist, the chances of that happening will continue to be few and far between the see and human al jazeera santiago set for me dire in jordan. Now the news continues here off the stream, stretching thanks for watching by the the latest news as it breaks the lead is attending. This is National Peoples congress all under pressure to stable potential and rest and convince the public situated front of me is not defined with detailed coverage despite their show of force. Many here realize your of is not ready to defend itself without how somebody United States from around the world, advocates for the homeless se criminalizing people who live on the street simply wont work, especially in a city like los angeles. As 6000000 have died and more than 6000000 have been displaced by a crisis, largely ignored democratic republic of homo has been involved in conflicts for nearly 3 decades. Now, were here today to remind you why im on and these forces, and this is this train the we need to talk about the silent genocide happening in congo. The expectation of Companies People is claimed millions of lives and the media is not talking about 206000000 congolese people have looked at lives over the past decade. Around every hour, 48 women, sexually assaulted. Millions more have been displaced. Also, the west of low can continue to benefit of congress, Natural Resources like cobalt. The land of congress has the largest amount of cobalt which is a critical mineral used in technology. Western nations like the us the u. K. And for on. So given military and Financial Aid to groups and were wanda and uganda to invite cobra rich areas. And because of these invasions kimberlys, people are the killed or in slaves and forced to mind cobalt which includes pregnant women and children. To did you know your rates could be using materials extracted by child labor or that key components in your phone could be sourced from contested minds in a conflict causing the desk of thousands of people every day. These are the issues that people campaigning for the congo one to, to be thinking about. Among them are our guests today. How did your ali, from friends of the congo . Shes joining us from washington d. C. Poppy orient founder of focus. Congress who fled the country as a child is joining us today from munich. And reagan, missouri accompanies research her and human rights activist joining us from go my, thank you all so much for joining us here on the stream today for this very important conversation. Before we begin, though, heres a clip. How did you, i posted on, took talk that may help us oh, scituate, this crisis right now is modern day slavery going on in the tongue of province, which is down here of the r c because the u. S. U. K. France, israel, china, everybody wants the r cs resources. They want the colton, they want the cobalt, they want the gold, they want the diamonds, they want everything thats in the d r c in the eastern part of the new york city as well. They want everything that is in there that they have uprooted everybody who used to live in these communities so that they built mines. And here with the border with rhonda rebels funded by both the governments of the d r. C and wanda. How these are the columns like to in the congo has been going on for decades now . Why is it important for you to bring attention back to it these days to thank you for having me. First, the conflict and condo has been going on for decades now. Since 1996 and largely the world has been either ignoring it or just hasnt been told enough about it, we need to talk about it now more than ever because it affects all of our lives. And so one conflict in this world that is directly linked with the luxuries that we get to enjoy, like our mobile phones and our electric cause. Oh and all of this a is affecting millions of people like coffee, for example pop. What would you say are the most pressing challenges right now . Once again, were talking about a conflict that has been going on for decades, but what are the most serious issues at the moment . Yes. All right, thank you again for having us. And i think the challenges you mind guess oh, in this conflict right now, if youre on the ground in the Eastern Congress specifically in government here, well see that the challenges we the of as a and i would say the one side of the thing that human human that uh, i re deals at to, to nothing randy like we have in this display as comp one of the display as comp we have about at a 100000 people. But however, the people have not for their they have no, no, no basic need basically are people are just living like undermines. And so i would say that would be the 1st challenges that were facing by of cause. They cannot be all is luxuries without, without peace. And as i walk around uh, north cable, uh me to a, grab us and meet with people that are doing that to our society. And i asked myself, what is going to happen to, to, to the people or tomorrow . The latter is going to happen to even this kid that you have children touching your data on this comp. Ive been taken by different school. I took them into the army, us as an organization we had to pay for the time of this case to, to get back home by been challenged is correct and we, we dont know at this point was as soon as she is going to uh, reagan. You are in go more right now. Do you agree with poppy . The challenges are enormous. Yes, there is. Uh, a lot of challenges on the ground and yes, i think the biggest, uh, as he said is protection of cdn. So uh there is a lot of display, especially around the city. Uh there is also on going uh fi too right now, very close to the city notes uh to keep them it does from here. And uh, i bought some digesting does the 2nd because charlotte is the fact that the states is, uh, each you is left good. The date is, uh, is this up here already, you know, certain way someplace dates. So i think that is the biggest job is because it makes people know tabi annual. Put a future cost is less. You have moved towards your file. Those dates less. You have uh no rolls. Uh its means thats uh this will be going good. Oh no. So copying popular ones to way and im gonna, im gonna, i wanna bring back the whole political issue into the conversation. I will bring that on a little bit later. But poppy go ahead 1st. Yeah, i think just a 2nd let my brother, joseph. I think the, the down, the dangerous thing is that people are taking this as a non, not because i see like there is no help. Oh, we dont have it. So i really liked, as our company sizing around it was. And so people on the ground are thinking, this is our gonna leave the rest of our lives and thats into either tomorrow or we died. Were gonna die because of lack of food or local chair to, uh, basically it. And so you have this children working around that thinking we dont, we dont have no future, theres no vision for the future. So that is very, very dangerous. When youll see, when you really see that children dont think about anything as brand, okay. The best thing i can do is getting beyond me. Oh absolutely. There is no. There are no prospect rise in the face and is more like, because this is always going to be like this. I want to bring it into focus here. The, the issue of these online campaigns, theres quite a lot of talk going on online right now. How do use your, the Online Movement is quite big at the moment to bring attention back to the congo. Do you think you can be translated into real action on the ground though . Absolutely it is big, but its not as big as it should be. And why . Because this country is we get so much we take so much from it and the, the level of consciousness that though the level of the people of the world have regarding that conflict is just not nearly enough. Right . Like i said, theres a, um, a concerted efforts by the people who benefits these other governments and International Corporate media to hi, this conflict from, from, from the rest of the world. Right . So that they can take what they can continue the calendar. And so all of us each and every one of us has to speak about the title to come with these people because it affects each and every one of us that exploitation that is going on in the global life in eastern calling goma. That exploitation directly benefits each and every one of us on a day to day basis. So each and every one of us really should be speaking about the conference and the d. R. C is very interesting, right . Again, i will go to you in just a minute, but i want to bring up an element that we found while researching for the show online. One of the things that campaigners are pushing for is for us to rethink our consumption habits. Take a listen. Over 6000000 people have been on a lived in the past 25 years. That is a little over 714 people a day. At least 48 women are being raped daily and dont even get me started on the men, women and children being blown up. And those mines just for us to have our dates and our carts. Im gonna just say this. Knowing that has completely changed my perspective and i love my carts do, but no hit or high in the world is worth the lives of innocent people. Reagan, would you agree with what the social media use or just said its yeah, something thats part of the problem, but its not the only problem. I was the um i had some issues with people who just defined the conflicts. He, i a correlation in relation weve, uh, weve minds, there is, are lots of to say about these conflicts done just the link weve, uh, weve mind of course there is a, uh, brad mind in the some places of closed on lines to this conflict of quotes the people what then if they think of the uh, of discount fees, because the big gets uh, cheaper minds or the minds without uh, going through the right way. But there is no more than these and nothing more that this is much more about uh when we talk about the 4 digits uh they den or issue thank dental challenges, but also the extend. Well try to both. But i think its important. But especially when youre outside the country, its important to focus on your own responsibility. And of course, the why, the way of prescription. Its a, its one way of thinking about google is thinking about whos going to be down there about the school that i think yes. Yeah. We, uh we, we, i book it for more drugs, speed on sci fi book as well. No, i put the ability for uh, both uh, governments and the, and companies i think thats the right thing to do in the civil society. Ill said, yeah, see, can weve got the d, r. So you just held the election late last year and the Campaign Slogan for the re elected president , read unity, security prosperity. It couldnt be further from what certain colleagues people are experiencing at the moment online. We found a significant amount of criticism like this one, for example, the people of congo deserve a government. The power its sizes, their safety and well be continued cooperation with the f d o r and all other melisha undermines this fundamental expectation and requires immediate corrective action. How these are you . I saw your, your, you were not doing the for your take on this whole political issue within the country and the difficult to the authorities there have in terms of just getting a grip on the situation. Yes, i wanted to add on to what my brother had had just said that we cannot reduce the whole call these people or the companies conflict, all the beautiful country. And the d r c to mining. We cannot do that. We have to remember that cobra is also home to the largest, the 2nd largest rate for us in the world. And so this, the color base is very important in combat and climate change. And so us with our organization, in terms of the congo, we work in all those areas in the, in the, in the mines as well as in the reinforce and also with governance. Right . Because we need to support local Police Communities in grass roots, organizations that are trying to combat the need to them that you know, that goes on. And so thats the sort of the Companies People become the beneficiaries, the people who benefit the most from the lands Natural Resources. And instead of the few of the top a coffee, your take here, i mean, you have to clear country when youre, youre really young. And its been going on for 30 years. Why comp, politicians in the congo just get a grip and fix this . Yes says yeah, im looking back here my childhood and how i was however, affected by these being recruited as a child surgeon and having to leave because of fear of what would happen when it happened to me and the, and on and coming back to the air tacoma and looking the same is like a cycle, the same thing is still happening today. And that really, that really touches my heart so see to look at these kids and know that theyre in the same case that i wasnt being recruited. And so, and then i look at the politics of the country and im like a, i dont know, i dont see, i dont see know how to, because youll see all these corrupt is in colorado, to a politician. And as election was going on. I was there, my says and that so i see a south cable which is my region. We have a 1000 the power over a 1000 people contesting for, for government because they understand the magnitude of the money that the theyre getting from their, from the government. And eat so many young people, theyre just went, they dont want to to be in the politics in order to better the lives of the people. But they just want to be there to, to get that in mind. You to, okay. All right, and all these companies that are kind of Multinational Companies that are going, coming in and doug was also, oh, overlaps, was money giving them crap. Seen them with money in order to lobby for them on their own, the national level. And so they want to be able to do that. So the level of corruption is, is, is a huge and going back to our, to mining again, of course, theres no the, the only problem we have, but i think amounting to as a huge fraud. Because our lives compet demeanor level, which is coming out of the chromebook and ive been surprised to, to, to the outside world is quite a huge and we about that the outside world is not functioning. And so for many months, the National Company about sponsoring this politician in order on hold on for them to know before the man. Of course, we have some human rights activists that out now also part of their government because theyre being corrupted by this government. That was speaking against it. Now this, this speaking pro, their government. So this is, is a huge problem. And its a part of the picture that youll paint here. I mean, as you said, the cycle of violence in the cycle of hopelessness, that seems never ending. Reagan, you brought a little bit of hope earlier into terms of the organizations and, and just the way the initiatives coming up from among the people. Uh, can you tell us a little bit more about that . Do you see that spreading and having a little bit more strength or like copying, do you think that were going to keep watching more of the same address . Congo . Turns out there is some cool uh and up seats because of uh, the people are the grounded shifts which um the bronze. Yes. I think uh with this uh, with this graphics grounds. I love of store rolls or um, uh uh, i can say no, i dont have separate but for sure. I love resilience. Uh poppy. You wanted to add something. Uh and then how do you get a copy 1st, if thats all right. Yeah, i definitely, i think that there is a hope in colorado and we have been working and, and really trying to attend the narrative because thats our ad focus from the realize that, you know, the major Media Outlets of the one that were not really talking about the help of chrome and what uh chromebook, because this is like if this minimal is either we know telling people, okay, dont, dont come in mind and come back this mind this mind must, uh, beneficial to people whove come of course, you know, thats why we want and we want to show their young people of color that this, why dont you have your quote on that or have the it belongs to you. It doesnt belong to. Some force is coming from outside the audience. So that yeah, you make a very good point. How does uh you want to weigh . Yeah, and then ill, ill go back to reagan, how did you want to do what i wanted to in, on the hopeful part. There is a lot of hope and now especially more than ever now, the more people, right, the world is being exposed to the long standing suffering of the Companies People. Just last month, december of 2023 friends of the combo was able to raise 100000. 00 an average of 20. 00 from 5000. 00 people across the world. You see this kind of solving there. It is kind of global solely that with these boards and Companies People need and they will get it because its about time that we put a focus on the d r c and whats been going on there. So theres absolutely is hope for this and an end to the conflict, hopefully very soon. Um on the Global Solidarity aspect and reagan, i have not forgotten about you. I will go back to you. But on the Global Solidarity issue, many aspects of this crisis are being talked about online as we mentioned. Heres another casualty. All the conflict