i’m looking forward to reading your novel, i’m also writing a book on congo, we study bonobos and it’s due in 3 weeks – eek!

i saw your blogpost on the congo chip, i wrote and this is what i got back from them:

Hello –

Thank you for your email, and for voicing your concern.

“Congo” is the internal code name for AMD’s second generation ultrathin
notebook platform. “Congo” is not a marketing term that will be used to
brand the final product once launched. Please note that AMD uses names
of rivers for code-names of its notebook platforms; examples include
“Tigris,” “Yukon,” and “Nile.” “Congo” refers to the river that runs
through multiple countries in Africa, not the Republic of Congo.

AMD has been a member of the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition
(EICC) since 2006. As part of our supply chain management process, we
set expectations annually with our top tier suppliers regarding
adherence to our Worldwide Standards of Business Conduct and the EICC
Code of Conduct. We are actively monitoring the conflict minerals issue
as well as proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress. The EICC is
currently researching the extractive metals supply chain (specifically
tin, tantalum, and cobalt) as it relates to the electronics industry.
We will continue to monitor this relevant issue and its potential
effects.

AMD has a strong track record of contributing to good works in Africa,
including leading initiatives such as the 50×15 Foundation
http://50×15.amd.com/en-us/sol_results_diepsloot.aspx.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Best regards,
Irmina Blaszczyk

Irmina Blaszczyk
Investor Relations
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD)
T: 408-749-3398 | E: irmina.blaszczyk@amd.com

“AMD uses names of rivers to code name its notebook platforms; examples include “Tigris,” “Yukon,” and “Nile.” “Congo” refers to the river that runs through multiple countries in Africa and does not directly refer to the Republic of Congo. It is the internal code name for AMD’s second generation ultrathin notebook platform. “Congo” is not a marketing term that will be used to brand the final product once launched.

Additionally, it is important to note that AMD has a strong track record of contributing to good works in Africa, including leading initiatives such as the 50×15 Foundation http://50×15.amd.com/en-us/sol_results_diepsloot.aspx.”

Enjoyed the interviews on your book!

Woody
Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org

With all due respect, I would like to clarify why I made and still continue to make those documentaries about the DRC (my homeland).
Just like Mr Donelson nicely put it…I’ve never claimed that I filmed the footages..clearly no…because if you actually watch again you’ll actually see that some footages have the logo watermarks of the various TV chanels or companies who own the rights.
I’m doing this for people like my little brother who’s never been to the Congo and his peers who are ashamed of their countries…I know these are not my footages and that’s why you will not see me trying to make financial gain from it…I just want to let people know what is going on in my country…It’s been a year since I started this “filmmaking thing”! so until I perfect my craft and actually go back home (which I’m doing soon) the best I can do is what I’m doing. If I made it seem like I was taking credit for more than the editing…then I greatly apologize, but you can atleast give me the credit for writing the narration and actually like you put it “re-editing” about 10 different documentaries to get the final thing…
As for the uncalled comment about “other sports stuff with footage that again they didnt take” well that’s why it’s on youtube and not my website and it’s called a hobby….the themes of those “sports” videos are Manchester United (my fav team)or my brother’s basketball videos oh yeah and the Congolese national soccer team.
FYI: on my website (not youtube)…I actually filmed/edited everything except for this one.
as for After Effects and basic video editing software ahah that made me laugh actually…because my goal is not to “perfect” Adobe After Effect but to offer my own perspective on something that is close to my heart (DRC)…clearly we don’t have a lot of Congolese people trying to make it into documentary filmmaking…I’m trying to start!
and be an honest Congolese filmaker who will not be scared to stand up to the corupted people in Kinshasa and make documentaries that will “let the people know the truth”!

The comment about “Because this is outright theft of other people’s work, time and resources.”

if you watch it again you’ll see that most of the footages are ina.fr
http://www.ina.fr/to-know-ina/index.html
it’s kind of uncalled for when I bought the videos and you call me a thief..thank you for that!

FYI my real aim for this was for EDUCATIONAL purposes…and a lot of Congolese youth in the Diaspora have given me positive reviews about letting people “understand”…so I guess I won’t stop.
Then again, I want to clarify that, as someone who is just getting started and still has a lot to learn, I’m open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

PS: Mr Donelson…sorry for this…I just thought it was pretty OBVIOUS about the footages.

Like you, I had seen most of the footage used before. That bothered me until I saw the credits given at the end. I also made note that Kadi Kabeya said upfront in the narration that he had not been in the DRC since he left at the age of nine. I was okay with that, too. I visited his company web site, too, before I posted the link. Perhaps I was overly generous with “fine filmmaker,” but I don’t think it hurts to encourage other people in their work.

I saw the videos not as great cinematic art, but as a fairly coherent explanation of Congo political history up to a point. It wasn’t presented without a slant (and I disagree with some of the conclusions) but I thought they did a pretty good job of laying out the events during the period covered. I feel they would be helpful to someone who wants a quick overview in video form, which is why I posted them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. There is a lot of crap floating around out there and it behooves us all to call it out when we see it. I appreciate your interest and hope you won’t hesitate to keep in touch in the future.