Meeting with the author.

Have you ever wondered what is the real price of your smartphone?

The batteries of latest generation mobile require a mineral present only in some parts of the globe, that is columbo-tantalite, more commonly called coltan. The constant growth of these objects has meant that since the end of the 1990s the coltan trade has increased exponentially, triggering great economic interests and exploitation by the large multinationals.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the richest countries when referring to this mineral, but for the population this wealth has quickly become a reason for exploitation in inhuman conditions.

"The victims of our wealth", the beautiful exhibition on the coltan by photographer Stefano Stranges, already exhibited and appreciated in many provinces and cities in Northern Italy, makes us discover the sad reality that coltan miners live in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Italian photographer Stefano Stranges, engaged in reportage on social issues and collaborator of humanitarian magazines, has documented this reality. The exhibition arrived at the final selections of the 2016 Pesaro Sifest Award, it received the honorable mention at Ipoty (International photographer of the year) and won the 2017 Human Rights Festival.