
The Durban Process began in March 2001 with an open letter, written by Greg Cummings to the information technology and mining industries, in response to problems arising from coltan mining in Kahuzi Biega National Park, in South Kivu, D.R. Congo.


Our efforts were widely reported in the press, most notably “Digging a grave for King Kong?” in The Economist newspaper. We also hosted an online chat with our celebrity patrons, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sir Arthur C. Clarke, to raise awareness of the crisis.
Greg Cummings accompanied both the BBC film crew who made Apes in Danger, and Turner Prize-winning video artist Steve McQueen, to Walikale in the heart of the Congo jungle, to film the impact of mining on the environment.
In addition, we had articles published in the Independent, The Guardian, and The Observer and programmes about it broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and CBC Radio in Canada.