THE graves rest silently in the depths of the jungle, but the trail beside them continues. The footsteps of porters sink into the soil, as sacks of ore sit on their backs. The trail ends at the Bisie tin mine in northern Kivu, an eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Down the mine shaft, the miners are caked in soil and water. Flashlights are strapped to the side of their heads, elastic bands holding them in place.

It’s dark deep below the earth, but it is places like this where the ingredients of our everyday lives are scratched out, such as cobalt and coltan, under the watchful eyes of rebel militia or renegade soldiers. It is the beginning of a journey that will end in our hands in the form of mobile phones and laptops.