These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to. During the years, people have given them more than just one name to emphasize the negative consequences african diamond trade. The story of diamonds in africa began between december 1866 and february 1867, when a 15yearold found a transparent stone on his. First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. Is blood diamond a true story in africa, and one of the. I think what happened is the most radical departure from occidental thinking and writing i ever have read before. After i have written some parts i started to read it. Simmons, who owns a jewelry company, has started a diamond empowerment fund to teach africans to polish rough stones so that value. Map illustrating the diamondsforweapons trade that took. By 1888, rhodes controlled the entire south african diamond supply. The kimberley process is an international initiative established in 2002 to stem the flow of blood diamonds. In so doing, he makes the reader fully aware of west africas deadlast.
Blood diamond is a 2006 political war thriller film coproduced and directed by edward zwick and starring leonardo dicaprio, jennifer connelly, and djimon hounsou. Liberian dictator who funded the atrocities of sierra leones 10 year civil war. Even those who missed leonardo dicaprios 2006 film could not. The documentary explores the factors that led to the violence, tells the vivid details of the suffering, and speaks with the organizations that eventually exposed the link between diamonds and several brutal african conflicts. There was even a movie called blood diamond that describes some of the tragedies and violent acts that happen during blood diamonds extractions. Blood diamond uses a little guilt trip political message, while gold. The name diamond comes from the greek word, adamas meaning unconquerable. Blood diamond is a 2006 political war thriller film coproduced and directed by edward zwick. Even as miners in the worlds most impoverished nation revel in the prospect of renewed prosperity, a fresh uptick in fighting in the central. Zwick, the director of glory, had traveled to africa to film blood diamond, the. They are known as blood diamonds sold by rebels and governments to fund their war campaigns. Blood diamonds by greg campbell is the eyeopening story revealing the horrifying truth of. Blood diamonds by greg campbell is firstrate journalistic sleuthing, tracing the. Consequences of the illegal sale of blood diamonds in africa.
Nelson mandela, the diamond shill the new republic. A diamonds true price blood diamonds africa the new york. Blood diamonds is a thriller fiction book title by jon land, 2002. Blood diamond 143 mins, 15 directed by edward zwick. After edward zwick returned from mozambique and sierra leone this june, he received a letter from nelson mandela. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.
When a local retiree vanishes without a trace, his daughter partners up with investigators to solve the mystery behind his disappearance, and eventually bring the person responsible to justice. Blood diamond original motion picture soundtrack james. In 20, a civil war erupted in the central african republic, with both sides fighting over the countrys diamond resources. The west african country of sierra leone has long been known as a diamondrich area. Smillies book is a fascinating read about the world of diamonds, war and greed. Blood diamonds, also referred to as conflict or war diamonds, are diamonds that originate from war zones and end up being traded on the black market to fund reb. Please subscribe to my channel if you like this documentary. Conflict diamonds in west africa stanford university. Corruption and torture in angola, published in 2011. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Most of the time, the people behind these civil wars and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading blood diamonds. An analysis of the movie, blood diamond essay 1197 words. The refugees said the movie is a truthful portrayal of the role of diamonds in that conflict, and of the agony of torn families, but that it. They exploit this power by burning down villages, severing limbs of the innocent, and enslaving children. December 5, 2003 diamonds are forever it is often said. The brutal truth behind the blood diamond movie have you seen the movie blood diamond starring leonardo dicaprio who is nominated for an oscar for his role. The truth about blood diamonds the overlook journal. They have been investigating blood diamonds using money from the sale of diamonds to buy guns for use in wars in african countries. With brant rotnem, paisley baker, jay bowdy, cj brady. Tracing the deadly path of the worlds most precious stones kindle edition by campbell, greg. The trade in the conflict or blood diamonds of africa, including those from sierra leone, was banned by the world diamond council in january of 2003 when the the kimberley process certification scheme, or kpcs, was created to fulfill an international certification system strictly regulating the export and import of diamonds, to introduce.
Two nonprofit groups, global witness and partnership africa canada, showed the world what was happening behind the curtains in the blood diamond industry and how consumers were buying diamonds from rebel groups of african civil wars. Much of the war crimes trial of former liberian president charles taylor focused on the role played by socalled conflict diamonds in funding rebels in conflict areas. Adrian labor, a young sierra leonean who had recently immigrated to canada, worked as a. For those who enjoy reading stories about conflict and foreign affairs. Blood diamonds won the colorado nonfiction book of the year award in 2002. Although many diamond fueled wars have now ended, conflict diamonds remain a serious problem. Millions of people still live with the traumatic impact of the war. At one point, he takes the readers focus to a city in sierra leone, freetown, where the city. Miami episode man down 2007 involves the trafficking of african blood diamonds. Blood diamonds also looks at the steps eventually taken by advocacy organizations and the diamond industry to combat. Discovering these blood diamonds has caused ruthless civil wars in african countries.
But theyre not the only precious gems with blood on their hands. The sordid history behind africas conflict diamonds. Answer key level 1 blood diamonds richard macandrew summary annie shepherd and harley kirkpatrick are reporters on the daily post newspaper in fleet street, london. I remember vaguely what i was writing all those years before.
Freelance journalist campbell here writes about the cost of diamonds not in. Blood diamonds also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading armys war efforts, or a warlords activity. It offers no big resolutions or prepackaged emotions. Blood diamonds solution is to leave africa, to fix the problems from the outside. With civil war ripping the heart out of the country, all aspects of life there are unstable. The movie tells the story of the brutal african diamond trade and its horrific human toll. Sierra leone being one of the small country in the western part of africa, facing america. An analysis of the movie, blood diamond essay 1197 words 5 pages the movie blood diamond was released in 2006 and featured leonardo di caprio as an arms smuggler whose main goal is to obtain a seemingly priceless diamond from a villager during the civil war in sierra leone. Now greed has created a new type of blood diamond in one african. To avoid buying blood diamonds, time suggests looking for dealers that are certified as complying with the kimberley. African country formed by the british to reward african american slaves who.
Blood diamonds threat returns to africa washington times. As civil war rages through 1990s sierra leone, two men, a white south african mercenary leonardo dicaprio and a black mende fisherman djimon hounsou, become joined in a common quest to recover. Martin chungong ayafor, chairman of the sierra leone panel of experts. Both men are african, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can. Firsr of all when you say africa, you mean the second biggest continent of the world. Blood diamond history banning the trade in african blood conflict diamonds the trade in the conflict or blood diamonds of africa, including those from sierra leone, was curbed by the world diamond council on january 17 18 2001 when the the kimberley process certification scheme kpcs was created to. Blood diamonds are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency. Not the book itself, its pretty well written, but who wants to know the diamond you bought. Blood diamonds and millions of other books are available for instant access. Experts claim that the illegal sale of blood diamonds has produced billions of dollars to fund civil wars and other conflicts in various african nations, including sierra leone where conflict ended in 2002, angola, liberia, ivory coast and the democratic republic of congo drc.
Greg campbell born july 7, 1970 is an american journalist, documentary filmmaker and nonfiction author who lives in denver, colorado with his wife. Blood diamonds refers to those gems acquired through conflict. The term is used to highlight the negative consequences of the diamond trade in certain areas, or to label an individual diamond as having come from such an. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to legitimate diamond. The main idea that we all should remember after watching the movie is to be more informed when we purchase something of great value. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations and death for the sake of conflict diamonds. Even as miners in the worlds most impoverished nation revel in the prospect of renewed prosperity, a fresh uptick in fighting in the central african republics south and east is stoking fears. All there is to know about the blood diamonds in africa. The rule of lawlessness in the central african republic, fueled with money from blood diamonds and poached ivory, has hardened religious identities, divided muslim and christian communities with. The book blood diamonds written by greg campbell is a great book that really opens up your eyes to see what has been happening in sierra leone in the 90s and 2000s.
The new blood diamonds diamonds from african countries have been funding guerrilla wars for decades. Before we get into the gruesome details of the corrupt african diamond trade, its important to note two things. Campbell writes, rebels smuggled and sold diamonds at premium prices to. Greg campbell is an awardwinning journalist and author who has written for such. Campbell opens the book by telling the story of ismael dalramy, who had both hands. The book claimed blood diamonds were responsible for the death of some 3. Diamonds that fuel civil wars are often called blood or conflict diamonds. Ruthless warlords and armies are consumed with power. Blood diamonds in africa are a controversial subject especially because of the violence acts surrounding them.
The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. The main reason blood diamond history began is due to the fact that these four african countries needed money to buy military supplies to fight the war, and so those countries started to force its own people to mine diamonds. Blood diamonds really shone light onto the issue bringing more awareness to it, just like the move did aswell. But many of the stones are dubious in origin, coming from african countries immersed in civil wars. Blood diamond is the story of danny archer dicaprio, a south african mercenary, and solomon vandy hounsou, a mende fisherman. Korbelack english 121 november 2012 blood diamonds in africa in sierra leone, more than 10,000 people have suffered amputation because of the diamond trade, which has become a trademark atrocity for the rebels. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in london, antwerp, and new york, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.