"Sub-Saharan Africa," the authors of Short Changed: Africa and World Trade (Brown and Tiffen 1992) note, "exports gold and diamonds, but also large quantities of copper, bauxite, iron ore, uranium, phosphate rock and manganese; smaller quantitie s of asbestos, beryllium, cadmium, chromite, cobalt, germanium, lead, lithium, nickel, platinum, tantalite, tin, tungsten, vanadium, and zinc" (p. 66).
In an article entitled "African Mining: A Light at the End of the Tunnel" Magnus Ericsson, editor of Raw Materials Report, underlines the importance of these mineral resources to the countries of Africa: "Mineral exports contribute between 25 an d 90 percent of annual export earnings of 13 countries: Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Zaire, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa is also heavily dependent on exporting its ore s and metals" (Review of African Political Economy 91, July 1991, p. 98).
The heavy dependence of these African countries on mineral exports means that the lives of many of their citizens are directly affected by the fluctuations in world market prices for tin, copper, and other minerals.
In Third World Minerals and Global Pricing: A New Theory (Nwoke 1987) Dr. Chibuzo Nwoke of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs narrows the focus from commodities in general to minerals and mining in the Third World context. He explor es--in a heavily theoretical and analytical framework--"the issue of the conflictual relationship between foreign mining firms and Third World governments in the sharing of the huge benefits derivable from mining the latter's rich resources." The New R esource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles against Multinational Corporations (Gedicks 1993) is focused primarily on resource exploitation in North America, but chapter 2 offers a readable introduction to many of the political, social, and econo mic issues related to the mining of natural resources worldwide.
Raw Materials Report (Stockholm) is a readable and dependable source of current information on the production and marketing of minerals and other raw materials. Debates about the pros and cons of mineral exploitation in Third World countries are regular features of the attractively designed magazine. The publishers of Raw Materials Report, Raw Materials Group, compile an annual reference guide to the major corporate actors in the world mining and refining industry: Who Owns Who in Mini ng.
Two other corporate reference sources are The Gulliver File. Mines, People and Land: A Global Battleground (Moody 1992) and chapter 4 of the Institute on Trade Policy's Wasting the Earth: A Directory of Multinational Corporate Activiti es (Draffan 1993).
The exposé, entitled Past Exposure: Revealing Health and Environmental Risks of Rössing Uranium (Dropkin and Clark 1992), used internal company documents, interviews with workers at the Rössing mine, scientific data, and independent research to level numerous strong charges against the mining multinational and the British government.
Among the charges:
Past Exposure describes the efforts of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia and of an international network of trade union and nongovernmental solidarity organizations to reveal the true state of working and living conditions at the Rössing uran ium mine and to take steps to ensure that the newly independent government of Namibia holds Rössing accountable to the "highest standards" the company claims to respect.
The conflicting data and controversial perspectives revealed in Past Exposu re offer educators and study groups plenty of substance for a case study analysis of one large and influential mining company in Africa.
More up-to-date formulations of the lines of debate regarding Rössing are found in the periodical Raw Materials Report, especially volume 9, nos. 3 and 4 (1993).
The Namibia Support Committee no longer exists, but copies of Past Exposure (and other information on mining in Africa) are available from PARTiZANS (People Against Rio Tinto Zinc and its Subsidiaries), 218 Liverpool, London N1 1LE, England.
Born in northern Namibia to uneducated peasant parents Joseph Diescho went on to study law and political science in South Africa and to become active in movements resisting the apartheid system. Later, while working for a diamond mine company Diescho h elped found a workers' union. His novel, Born of the Sun, is a story of a dispossessed black majority forced to work in the gold and diamond mines of Namibia and South Africa.
"For four months Muronga has been working in the mine. He has adjusted to the routine and is quite content with his new identity as a mine worker. He has very few opportunities to leave the compound and little free time, so the compound has become almo st his entire world.
"At first, he was eager to learn everything he possibly could about his work and his new environment. Because of his youthful physique and good health, Muronga was assigned to work as a lowly shoveler. After the machineboys have blasted the rock s off the working face at the new end of the tunnel with dynamite, the choppers break up the larger chunks, and the line of shovelers pass the gravel shovelful by shovelful back to the loaders at the trolley car on its narrow iron rails. To Muronga and al l of the other men, the work soon becomes routine, so much so that one day Muronga decides to ask his supervisor if there are any other jobs he can learn.
"'Chiefboss,' Muronga exclaims, careful not to break the rhythm of his shoveling. 'Everything you have taught me here I know how to do. I would like to learn something new--like learning to drive the trolley car.'
"'What? Are you crazy?' the short fat white supervisor shouts. 'You are a shoveler! That's all you were meant to do. You cannot drive that thing, ever. It's dangerous, so only boys who can read and write a little bit can drive it. Not you...it's not fo r baboons like you. Now get to work! I am busy!' The supervisor shoves Muronga aside with the butt of his flashlight and stalks self-importantly down the tunnel toward the face.
"Taken aback, Muronga swallows hard as the men begin to sing, 'Tshotsholoza, tshotsholoza,' the chant they often sing to help them keep a rhythm and feel less tired and more united in the battle with the rocks."