The Cobalt Social Experience
On 24 October we set up The Box on Antwerp's busiest shopping street. The Box contains pictures of life around mining sites in the DRCongo and aims to be a conversation starter. Many people passed by, and may paused to ask questions, listen, and watch.
On 30 october we organized the Cobalt Social Experience. This simulation, designed by Collectif Cobalt, brings research closer to lived experiences and makes us all part of the story. How do you react when a Minister comes to tell you your land has been sold to a mining company? When the information you get is incomplete and confusing? When others decide where your new house will be? Around 60 participants experiences this in Antwerp.
A photo exhibition bringing together different stories about mining in the DRCongo, was opened the same evening. It is up from 30 October till 14 November at IOB, Lange Sint Annastraat 7, Universiteit Antwerpen.
This was a collaboration with ,
Project launch, Lubumbashi 2026
On 29 September 2026 GREXPOP was officially launched in Lubumbashi, as one of the first projects coordinated by the new Centre de recherche sur la Gouvernance des Ressources Naturelles (GRENAT) at the Université de Lubumbashi (UNILU).
GRENAT aims to bring together academics, civil society representatives, and development partners to advance research on natural resource governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Co-led by Prof. Olivier Kahola (Université de Lubumbashi) and Prof. Benjamin Rubbers (Université de Liège), GRENAT aims to strengthen local scientific expertise, promote interdisciplinary research, and foster dialogue between researchers and non-academic stakeholders. The launch also featured presentations of two major research projects affiliated with the centre: GREXPOP and IMPACT, a collaborative project exploring the social, political, environmental, and health consequences of the mining boom in the region. The event highlighted a shared commitment to producing locally grounded knowledge, training a new generation of researchers, and contributing to more inclusive and equitable governance of natural resources.