Katanga Business

The Congolese region of Katanga represents an emblematic case of the current economic-political situation in central Africa: rich in mineral resources, thanks to huge deposits of uranium, cobalt and copper, sold off by the country's politicians to foreign mining companies, leaving the population destitute, in appalling living and working conditions, as exemplified by the diggers, groups of miners who dig illegally, putting their own lives at risk. The film paints a harsh portrait of the region: British speculators, Chinese businessmen and colonial heirs who divide the spoils of past privileges; the effects of globalization; renewed efforts for independence, as personified by Moise Katumbi, the region's wealthy, charismatic governor, who is pursuing a new course of economic development amidst underhanded dealings.