The story of blood diamonds is mainly fairly easy, however simply the time period blood diamonds brings up horrendous photographs of people that have been subjected to unthinkable acts pressured upon them by their very own countrymen. I’ll use the time period, blood diamonds, to discuss with diamonds dropped at market through the bloody civil conflict that occurred in Sierra Leone all through the 90’s and that lastly got here to an finish in 2002. The quantity of blood diamonds produced throughout this era was a comparatively small quantity compared to complete world manufacturing but it surely was sufficient to be part of the funding for the rebels.
a little bit of background…
I’ll simplify the story a bit with the intention to give some backdrop to what led as much as this unhappy interval of the human race. Sierra Leone was a British colony that gained independence within the early 60’s. Sierra Leone began off on its independence fairly properly, as a result of it had a comparatively good infrastructure and it had already been mining diamonds for the reason that 1930’s. Within the late 60’s, a major minister by the identify of Siaka Stevens got here into workplace. He proceeded to run the nation into the bottom till he and his successor have been lastly out of workplace by 1992. It was within the late 80’s and early 90’s that the anti-government group, the ruf, was shaped. For the subsequent 4 years, there was an ineffectual string of corrupt army folks working the nation. It was throughout this era that the ruf moved into the diamond producing space of jap Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone’s diamonds are alluvial in nature… Alluvial diamonds are deposits of diamonds present in lowlands areas, in outdated river beds, within the beds of streams and shallow rivers. Diamonds are shaped deep within the earth and are available to the floor by means of volcanic eruptions and the ensuing mountain of cooled lava finally ends up being eroded away by rain. The diamond tough is washed away and leads to alluvial deposits. Most alluvial diamonds are often discovered between a couple of toes to twenty toes under the floor. Comparatively little capital and solely primary expertise (shovels, sieves, and muscular tissues) are required to mine alluvial diamonds. These alluvial diamond mining areas are simply managed by armed thugs.
In 1995, a gaggle of “gunslingers” from south Africa, referred to as govt outcomes, have been employed and so they cleaned up the issue of the ruf being within the diamond fields. The un stepped in, elections have been held in 1996, and a former un official, Ahmad Tejan Kebbah, was elected the brand new president. Government outcomes was requested to depart and briefly order, the diamond producing space of Kono was once more taken over by the ruf.
A horrible interval in historical past!
it was at this level that the ruf started the horrendous act of slicing off folks’s palms!!!! Why?… As a result of they’d voted through the latest election! Amputations have been designed to terrorize the inhabitants and it was very efficient. It wasn’t nevertheless an motion immediately associated to the diamond mining operations. It’s the picture of those brutal acts that has been endlessly linked to “blood diamonds”.
Throughout the next 6 12 months interval, the ruf teamed up with one other thug, Charles Taylor, who was pillaging Sierra Leone’s subsequent door neighbor, Liberia. Collectively the two teams have been fascinated about power and would kill or terrorize anybody who obtained of their means. Blood diamonds was a part of their financial and terror marketing campaign. It lastly got here to a head, after the ruf had come into freetown and went on a nightmarish killing spree. The British then despatched commandos into Sierra Leone to settle the scenario in 2002.
The folks of Sierra Leone try to maneuver on however…
folks turned conscious of the blood diamond scenario, they took motion, the civil conflict led to 2002 and now the folks of Sierra Leone have moved on and try to rebuild their nation. An vital funding supply of their rebuilding efforts comes from the cash introduced in from diamond mining.
There are folks within the jewellery business who’re attempting to make the scenario higher for everybody… Most notably, martin rapaport. There are 2 movies embedded on my web site that designate among the actions which are starting to happen.
Being politically right is rarely a good suggestion…
there are people who find themselves not serving to the scenario of the Africans attempting to modernize their nations. Some politically right folks, the “blood diamond Nazis”, are railing towards the idea of anybody shopping for or proudly owning a diamond as a result of of their minds they see horrible atrocities each time that they take a look at any diamonds, they see “blood diamonds”. It has change into their mission to unfold the phrase by disseminating out dated info that aren’t right and it’s these “info” that do a whole lot of hurt to the thousands and thousands of individuals in these rising nations. These “blood diamond Nazis” is not going to relaxation till everybody stops buying and carrying diamonds. They’re finally hurting the Africans that they declare they’re attempting to assist 結婚戒指.
There are some suppliers of diamonds and diamond simulants which are benefiting from everybody’s disdain of the idea of blood diamonds by selling the truth that it’s their merchandise which are the choice to blood diamonds… Most notably the individuals who promote diamond simulants (cubic zirconia or moissanite) or who promote “moral diamonds” from areas apart from africa. As well as, there are some organizations that also need to preserve the thought of blood diamonds alive in folks’s minds… They do that principally for fund elevating purposes-
— “you possibly can assist put a cease to blood diamonds by sending in your donation now!?”
— “consideration site owners!, make a donation to our effort and you’ll put this “cease blood diamonds!” Brand in your web site to indicate your guests that you actually care concerning the folks of sierra Leone!”
Once you go to those teams’ web sites… Their “updated” reference materials about blood diamonds is from 1998 to 2001 and among the info even dates again to 1982.
It’s unbelievable that some persons are utilizing photographs of sierra Leone amputees to advertise shopping for Canadian “moral diamonds”, or to advertise shopping for diamond stimulants, or used for fund elevating functions. Anytime you see these photographs bear in mind that these persons are attempting to control you on the similar time that they’re serving to solely themselves and never serving to the folks within the pictures! These folks, the “not for revenue” ngos and the for revenue corporations, they need you to imagine that there’s at present a blood bath occurring in components of Africa and this case can completely be blamed on battle diamonds. I’ve by no means seen a photograph or a video of, or heard a report a couple of piece of diamond tough choosing up a rifle and killing somebody. Individuals did all of those horrible issues to different folks.
The place can we go from right here?
Sierra Leone’s conflict is over, sierra Leone’s blood diamonds are up to now. The quantity of “battle diamonds” solely accounts for 0.02% of yearly worldwide diamond manufacturing… This could make it extraordinarily unlikely that you simply’d ever encounter a battle diamond! When you checked out one diamond a day, each single day, it will take 13.7 years earlier than you’d come throughout a battle diamond… I suppose it is about the identical likelihood of getting struck by lightning!
Immediately, the African folks want the remainder of the world to take a look at diamonds as issues of magnificence and for folks to be ok with diamonds! To encourage folks to not purchase any diamonds or to discriminate towards African diamonds in favor of “moral diamonds” from non-African nations doesn’t assist the folks in Africa construct hospitals, roads, and colleges.
A number of years in the past, I had the glory of listening to a speech from Erkki Nghimtina, Namibian minister of mines and vitality. I referred again to my notes, together with some informational handouts from the speech… And right here is the African’s present view of the diamond trade-
“Each diamond not bought is a missed likelihood for Africa – a missed alternative to ship extra youngsters to high school, construct extra clinics and hospitals, and proceed the battle towards hiv/aids. Our problem is to work collectively to strengthen the continent’s diamond industry in order that we are able to higher present for our folks, enabling us all to share a brighter future.”