Stealing Africa

Rüschlikon is a wealthy municipality in Switzerland where there is more tax revenue than expenses. This is thanks to one resident in particular: Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, a company that mines copper in Zambia and pays minimal taxes there. 60 percent of the Zambian populace lives on less than a dollar a day, and even though the country has the third largest copper supply in the world, unemployment is at a staggering 80 percent. In this documentary, director Christoffer Guldbrandsen asks how it is possible for Zambia to make so little money from their copper when it is such a valuable commodity. He invites experts and politicians to shed light on the situation from various angles. Glencore is revealed to be a multinational with little name recognition that still controls 60 percent of the world's copper production. Meanwhile, the Zambians have begun to believe that the tax situation should be reformed. Guldbrandsen follows Guy Scott, the white vice president of Zambia, who has made it his mission to ensure that proper taxes are paid for their copper. But with the slow judicial process required to change things, one should not hold one's breath. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)