Conflict diamonds and blood diamonds
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The Blood Diamond movie is a clear signal to the diamond industry that
we must raise our ethical awareness and moral consciousness. The real
issue is not the quality of the movie, its impact on the mindset and
subconscious of diamond consumers, or our diamond sales. It is time
for us to wake up and question what kind of people we are. Do we give
damn about the diggers in Africa or are we only concerned about
ourselves, our sales, and our profits?
The real issue is not us. It is the diggers of Africa and the people
of Sierra Leone. The war is over but the extreme poverty and suffering
continues. We must ask ourselves - is there anything we can do to help these people?
We must help. Not because we are guilty of anything and not because
opportunist NGO's generate publicity. The reason we must relate to the
people of Sierra Leone is because we in the diamond and jewelry
industry are decent human beings. Because the diggers in Sierra Leone
are as much a part of our industry as we are. Because the diamond
dream that we all sell does not only belong to our customers and us.
The diamond dream also belongs to the people of Africa.
We must wake up to the fact that the poorest people of Africa, the
artisanal diggers, are a part of our diamond family -- and that we
must share our wealth with them. We must learn to care about other
because it is the right thing to do.
Martin Rapaport
Film Review: Blood Diamond
Opens December 8, 2006 in the United States
Written by Daily Variety
Having already roiled the diamond industry, "Blood Diamond" arrives
with the best of intentions, harrowing sequences but ultimately mixed
results. Another sweeping, at times heartbreaking view of the horrors
inflicted upon Africa (in this case, Sierra Leone's civil war) it's
also a quest for a fabulous stone that Hitchcock would have called a
MacGuffin --- namely, an ice-cube-sized pink diamond.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou deliver powerful moments, but
those moments are liberally spaced along a lengthy trek -- one that
periodically pauses to scold the U.S. audience for complicity in the
region's exploitation. As such, overseas appeal might outstrip the
yield from domestic mines.
Set in 1999, rebels wage war against Sierra Leone's government, and
the movie quickly establishes the brutal toll exacted on innocent
bystanders: Rebels raid a village occupied by the fisherman Solomon
Vandy (Hounsou) lopping off arms, murdering women and children, and
sending his family fleeing.
Solomon himself is taken hostage and forced to labor in the mining
camps, which generate millions of dollars used to finance the arms
trade and thus perpetuate Africa's bloody nightmare. Before escaping
during a government assault, however, Solomon unearths and hides an
enormous, invaluable diamond, word of which reaches smuggler Danny
Archer (DiCaprio,) who prefers the label "soldier of fortune."
Danny convinces Solomon that the only way to reunite his family is to
sell the diamond and use the proceeds. Meanwhile, a journalist, Maddy
(Jennifer Connelly) wants the Afrikaner's aid in exposing trafficking
in "conflict stones" -- diamonds plucked from war-torn areas and
laundered through legitimate Western merchants.
Director Ed Zwick and writer Charles Leavitt perhaps strike their most
lingering chord via a subplot involving Solomon's son, Dia (Kagiso
Kuypers), who is brought into rebel custody and transformed into a
"child soldier." The indoctrination includes teaching youths to kill
almost casually, and the sight of children ruthlessly brandishing
automatic weapons becomes one of the film's more indelible images.
In the end, though, Zwick is trying to juggle several balls at once
and does so with a heavy hand -- delivering a history lesson on the
sordid resource exploitation of Africa from within and from abroad,
expounding on the role of wanton consumerism (always nice right before
the holidays,) and still developing a traditional quest thriller that
will theoretically open Danny's blinkered eyes to the suffering around
him. It's a tremendous amount of ground to cover, and the film's last
third is less than wholly convincing or satisfying, unable to deliver on its early promise.
DiCaprio nevertheless again acquits himself admirably after "The
Departed," bringing a roguish charm to Danny. Hounsou is also
characteristically strong as the movie's moral center -- thrust into a
familiar position regarding cinematic Africa (think "Hotel Rwanda") as
well as his own resume (think "Gladiator") separated from and
struggling to safeguard his family, as chaos erupts all around him.
Filmed almost entirely in Africa, pic captures a big, adventurous
scope, including sweeping vistas of lush jungle, large-scale bursts of
action and a massive refugee camp poignantly described as "an entire
country made homeless."
Africa's enduring sorrow is ripe for drama, but "Blood Diamond" is,
finally, a fitting metaphor for the gems: Potentially brilliant from a
distance, but upon closer inspection, one likely will see the flaws.
Reviewed at Warner Bros. studios, Burbank
MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 143 MIN.
Oprah Winfrey to Audience: See Blood Diamond
Top rated daytime television program the Oprah Winfrey Show on the ABC
Network devoted a segment to the Blood Diamond movie. Winfrey treated
her viewing audience to interviews with the movie's star Leonardo
DiCaprio, co-star Djimon Hounsou, and producer Ed Zwick on December 4, 2006.
Winfrey called the movie "great," and added "Blood Diamond is
jarringly violent" with a "gut wrenching story line" referring to a
main premise of following Hounsou's character on a search for his
family in war-torn Sierra Leone.
The film is fictional and not taken from a single source, Zwick said,
but the general story of the war needed to be told.
Winfrey featured a segment during the show on how the diamond industry
has rallied its players to adopt the Kimberley Process Certification
Scheme and added, "It is important to know that the sale of conflict
free diamonds is actually saving many African countries."
She told the success story of Botswana and Namibia, showing images and
data from those diamond economies, countries that were enabled to
build schools, and roads, fund education and health care for thousands
of residents on diamond revenue.
Zwick said the movie was not intended to sway consumers away from
buying diamonds when Winfrey asked, "not at all. You talked about it
first with Leonardo, but when you are a consumer -- understand what
the choice is and make a choice that is informed."
To consumers Zwick said, "You can sit there (or) you can say 'I want
to see a warranty' and a certificate to make a difference and effect thousands of lives."
Winfrey told her audience, "Blood Diamond opens December 8 -- it is
not for children. But you should go see it."
Mogae: Diamonds Mean Life or Death for Botswana
President Mogae, who has been boosting efforts to increased trade
between Botswana and other nations the past three months, shared his
message once again that diamonds have attributed to his country's
economic growth in education, healthcare and infrastructure at a time
in which the AIDS pandemic continues. The president addressed industry
and government officials at a luncheon December 4, 2006, which was
hosted by Lazare Kaplan International Inc.
He called upon consumers to support diamonds, characterizing that
support as "a life or death choice for the citizens of Botswana."
President Mogae recognizes that the diversification of Botswana's
economy is a necessary and inevitable next step in the country's
continued advancement, which is the fundamental reason for pushing
global trade across a multitude of industries. For now though, "we are
critically dependent on the income we derive from diamonds today to
drive the diversified economy we will need tomorrow," the president said.
World Vision: Boycotting Diamonds isn't the Answer
Christian organization World Vision, which is dedicated to working
with families to end poverty, weighed-in on the Warner Bros.' Blood
Diamond film. Rory Anderson, World Vision's senior policy advisor for
Africa and expert on the illegal diamond trade praised the movie as
"gripping, compelling, and accurate."
"The film's relevance goes beyond the individual situation of Sierra
Leone," said Anderson. "It illustrates the incredible devastation the
illegal diamond trade has caused -- and continues to cause -- elsewhere in Africa."
"Americans can play a powerful role demanding regulation and
certification to ensure that these 'conflict diamonds' don't end up in
our jewelry stores," he said, but boycotting diamonds isn't the answer.
"Legitimately traded diamonds, particularly in countries like South
Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, are being used to fund health care,
education and other vital services," said Anderson. "We can't punish
countries using diamonds to help their people for the crimes committed
by rebel groups and others exploiting resources elsewhere."
Before buying diamonds, Anderson tells consumers to ask retailers for
their policies on conflict diamonds and for certification that their
diamonds were mined and sold legitimately.
Diamonds Symbolize Healthcare, Education, Empowerment
Benjamin Chavis, who accompanied hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons to
southern Africa on a fact-finding trip, said that the media's
"disturbing portrayal" of diamonds and Africa distort reality.
"I saw the impact of diamonds -- and Africans working, learning
computer skills, being trained on diamond polishing," Chavis said of
his observations, and "the real story is not told" in the United States.
Ahead of the Blood Diamond movie, Chavis, Simmons, and Scott Rauch
(president of Simmons Jewelry Company) discussed highlights of how the
diamond economy, especially from Botswana, has benefited the local residents.
"Diamonds are very important," Simmons said. "I'm not here today to
defend history. The process today is transparent -- as it was to me."
Rauch said that his biggest fear was how misinformation is affecting
the industry. "It is inaccurate, songs, documentaries, movies" are
telling a distorted view "of my industry -- one I love and have respect for."
"Diamonds symbolize love and special occasions over life. Diamonds and
diamond jewelry symbolize healthcare, HIV (prevention/treatment,)
education and empowerment across Africa," Rauch said.
U.S. State Dept: KP Successful in Reducing Conflict Diamonds
Ahead of the Blood Diamond film, the United States State Department
said that illegal trade in conflict diamonds has been sharply reduced in recent years.
Seeking to avert backlash from the film, deputy assistant secretary of
state, Paul Simons told journalists, �We feel the film provides a good
historical snapshot of the diamond industry, particularly back in
1999, but we feel we have come a long way since the blood atrocities depicted in that movie.
Simons noted that in the late 1990s, between 4 to 15 percent of the
world�s diamonds were believed to come from conflict areas, but this
has now been reduced to less than 1 percent.
The United States has been keeping a vigilant eye to curb the
illicit diamond trade, he concluded.
Ghana Puts Task-force in Place to Tighten Internal Controls
Ghana inaugurated a nine-member Kimberley Process (KP) Certification
Oversight Committee to ensure that no conflict diamonds would cross
the nation's borders the Ghana News Agency reported.
Ghana has been accused of allowing Cote d'Ivoire diamonds to enter the
country for export with KP certificates. Ghana was given three months
to implement directives decided upon at the KP Plenary in Botswana in early November.
General Assembly Passes Resolution in Support of Kimberley Process
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution on December 4,
backing the Kimberley Process and its efforts to stem the flow of conflict diamonds.
The General Assembly, recognizing that the trade in conflict diamonds
continues to be a matter of serious international concern, which can
be directly linked to the fuelling of armed conflict reaffirms its
strong and continuing support for the Kimberley Process Certification
Scheme and the Kimberley Process as a whole, the resolution stated.
The resolution recognized that the Kimberley Process Certification
Scheme (KPCS) bolsters Security Council resolutions by imposing
sanctions on industries where trade in conflict diamonds is carried
out. Additionally, the resolution expressed support for the decision
taken by the annual KP meeting in Botswana earlier in November calling
for stronger internal control standards for participants as well as for clearer guidance
on implementing effective controls from the mining to the export of diamonds.
This page was last updated on: May 4, 2008
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