From Japan April 10, 2008
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Photography bit of website March 5, 2008
Posted by Harrison Mitchell in : news , comments closed | Print This Post | EMail This Post |is broken, sorry about that. Will fix it asap.
Congo rebels cash in on demand for tin
Posted by Harrison Mitchell in : photojournalism, news , add a comment | Print This Post | EMail This Post |Article in the Financial Times By Nicholas Garrett and Harrison Mitchell
Published: March 5 2008 03:09
Some of the world’s best known consumer electronics companies are examining their supply chains after discovering that tin from a mine controlled by renegade soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo is reaching international markets.
The Bisie mine, situated a day’s walk into the Walikale district of North Kivu, is the Congo’s biggest tin ore mine. It is controlled – in contravention of the country’s mining regulations – by the renegade 85th brigade of the Congolese army led by Colonel Samy Matumo.
An investigation by the Financial Times has found that tin ore from the mine is reaching smelters and solder manufacturers in Asia via a network of local middlemen and international traders. Household brands such as Hitachi, Microsoft, Pioneer and Samsung are investigating whether they could be sourcing tin solder from these companies.
See the rest of the article here
Investors sit tight in Kenya February 19, 2008
Posted by Harrison Mitchell in : news , comments closed | Print This Post | EMail This Post |Article in FDI Magazine February 19, 2008
As the turmoil stemming from Kenya’s election crisis continues, investors are playing a waiting game, reports Harrison Mitchell.
Many investors believe that the underlying strength of Kenya’s economy still makes the country an attractive bet in the long term. However, the country’s reputation as a stable climate for investment in Africa has taken a hit recently, as violence surrounding the disputed presidential elections of December 27 left hundreds of people dead.
The violence has left foreign investors wondering whether they need to reconsider their options. Alongside the loss of life, looting caused the closure of the Convention of Biological Diversity in Nairobi and the closure of the Port of Mombasa. The port acts as the trade hub for all the countries in east Africa and its closure has caused serious disruptions in imports and exports to and from Kenya and surrounding countries.
Read the rest of the article here
Work April 19, 2007
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These photos were taken at the Crometal steel factory cooperative in Buenos Aires at the beginning of 2007. During Argentina’s financial crisis in 2002 hundreds of factories closed down and laid off their workers who had little hope of getting employment elsewhere. So began the phenomenon of ‘recovered factories’ - where the workers battled authorities and the owners to regain control of the factory and run it themselves.
In Crometal’s case, the recovery was an 18 month battle through the courts and against hired thugs to recover their jobs - a battle which they finally won. The struggle gave the workers the confidence to make the business successful but it hasn’t been easy - its meant retraining, learning business skills, and working 7 days a week in repetitive and often physically demanding jobs.
But for the trabajadores, the factory is more than just work. Keeping the factory going has meant that the workers have been able to stay in their local community and reinvest in an area that would otherwise be severely depressed.
I went there a few times with the local NGO La Base to visit the workers and take these photos. We even had Christmas dinner there - a belt loosening Argentinean asado (BBQ). It was the first year that the factory had started to turn a profit after 3 years of hard slog and the trabajadores had alot to smile about.
These photos are from a small steel foundry cooperative in the sprawling suburbs of Buenos Aires. Its hot and dirty work and the rewards are reletively meager for this cooperative. But the workers enjoy working for themselves even if its twice as hard as paid employment.
And finally some images from a balloon factory cooperative in Buenos Aires doing very good business for the children of Argentina. As with many of the other cooperatives, they are deeply involved in the local community and have set up a small training centre to teach languages and yoga.
See more about recovered factories here - The Take - by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.
Navimag January 31, 2007
Posted by Harrison Mitchell in : travel , add a comment | Print This Post | EMail This Post |The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free ;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
Shots from the NAVIMAG hugging the coastline of wild Patagonian Chile.
Christmas in Buenos Aires December 24, 2006
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Listen to the rain in Buenos Aires [3:10m]: Almost everyday now huge storms descend upon Buenos Aires; cool relief from the heat of the days and nights. The thunder growls out the traffic and rain turns some streets into traps for the city’s pushy taxi drivers, their cars lying abandoned with water sometimes almost up to their windows. We’re developing some Porteño habits - eating evening meals at 10 or 11 and taking a siesta in the afternoon when the heat is at its worst.
But the rain makes the city softer and empties the streets of the usual aggressive bustle. I like these pauses in the day: the sound pulls me away from the laptop to play with the rain falling down the well in the middle of our apartment building.
Merry Christmas all.
[Click on ‘Play in Popup’ above to hear the rain]