The movie opens with a west african man in sierra leone, solomon vendy, encouraging his son, dia, to go to school so he can become a doctor instead of a poor fisherman like his father. But if you are asking whether director edward zwick drew on actual events to inspire his film, the answer is yes. Is blood diamond 2006 movie a true story based on the. Solomon is reunited with his family and he speaks before a council about his experience in the blood diamond mines. Awardwinning journalist greg campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds. 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. Film education is not responsible for the content of external sites. Many buyers believe conflictfree must mean the stones are canadian. Jon land is the author of four previous novels in this series, pillars of solomon, walls of jericho, a walk in the darkness and keepers of the gate. Awardwinning journalist greg campbell traces the deadly trail of these. Some words onscreen narrate that in 2003 there was a draft called the kimberley process to combat the flow of blood diamonds. Comparing to my view of a just world, i believe this is a start to clearing the bigger picture of our world. The film dealt with the conflict diamond trade and attempted to show all levels of the process.
First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. The movie blood diamond is about the illegal production and trade of diamond in south africa. Diamonds that fuel civil wars are often called blood or conflict diamonds. Blood diamond or a conflict diamond is a diamond that is mined in areas controlled by forces rebels who fight against the government. The trial of the former leader of liberia has generated a lot of interest in blood diamonds. Child labor and child soldier the issue of child labor is evident in the movie where children from villages are kidnapped by the rebels from ruf.
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. Blood diamond twodisc special edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The ethical issues that can be identified in this movie are as follows. The organization favors consumer pressure on the diamond industry to force it to. How the diamond trade is enslaving millions of africans. Although many diamond fueled wars have now ended, conflict diamonds remain a serious problem. Sierra leone is a vacuum of violence, poverty, warlords and misery, a tiny corner of western africa where the wheels have fallen completely off, writes campbell, its politics as raw and unrelenting as the natural environment. Diamonds smuggled from the bloody civilwar zones of africa and traded illegally for weapons are known as blood diamonds. Although the album does not feature a title track, the album gets its name from a lyric from the opening track and. 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. This is part of a blood diamonds scheme of work developed for pgce.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. However, the popular movement for the liberation of angola mpla, the national union for the total independence of angola unita, and the national liberation front of angola fnla, fought in a civil war lasting 27 years from 1974 to 2001. If you are asking whether the film is a sort of documentary, the answer is no. But the december 2006 movie, blood diamond, starring leonardo dicaprio and djimon hounsou, introduced to. The movie blood diamond traces the path of a large pink diamond found in sierra leone in the 1990s by a fisherman working as a slave in a rebelcontrolled diamond mine. These blood diamonds are sold to buy arms and ammunition to carry out violent campaigns against the government. Blood diamonds unabridged audiobook, by richard macandrew. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man. 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 area.
The sorry role the diamond has played in the history of sierra leone, stunningly told by journalist campbell the road to kosovo, 1999. In this press release world vision denounces the inadequate us government initiatives to regulate the diamond trade. History of blood diamonds in angola angola gained independence on november 11,1975 from portugal. The name diamond comes from the greek word, adamas meaning unconquerable.
Tracing the deadly path of the worlds most precious stones new edition by greg campbell isbn. One explanation, proposed by the publication diamond intelligence briefs, is an active diamondlaundering route between the two countries. Known as blood diamonds or conflict diamonds, these gems are mined and exported illegally from certain parts of africa by corrupt groups bent on funding bloody rebel conflicts and civil wars. In 20, a civil war erupted in the central african republic, with both sides fighting over the countrys diamond resources. Thats too bad, because the basic story is very strong in many ways, and well acted. Blood diamonds really shone light onto the issue bringing more awareness to it, just like the move did aswell. Rebels would sell diamonds to international markets in order to fund weapons and other tools of war. 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. London journalists harley kirkpatrick and annie shepherd sense the scoop of a lifetime when they try to trap a deal in the. Diamonds processed in surat are sold to jewellery makers in a bazaar, but nearly 90 per cent are couriered to one of the worlds largest diamond bourses in. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in african war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. The story is interesting fiction, but it is based upon facts. Our select group of diamond suppliers demonstrate a robust chain of custody protocol for their diamonds and have the ability to track and segregate diamonds by origin. Diamonds, a global symbol of love and wealth, have also served as hard currency for conflict in africa.
Brilliant earth goes above and beyond the current industry standards to offer beyond conflict free diamonds tm with a listed origin of canada, botswana sort, or russia. Three specific conflictsin angola, the democratic republic of the congo, and sierra leonedirected world attention to the destructive role of. Thousands of children work in conflict diamond mines. Although the us accounts for two thirds of the rough diamonds trade, a recent government report revealed that the us lacks an effective monitoring system for imported diamonds. Socalled conflict diamonds have been a concern for humanitarian advocates and a complex issue before policy makers for almost a decade. Van delft is a businessman and he buys and sells guns and diamonds. The movie makes the viewer want a just world in sierra leone of no blood diamond issue. However, its spotlight on conflict diamonds created much a stir amongst diamond conglomerates and oscar voters alike many of whom show up to the awards show in millions of dollars in diamonds.
That diamond changed and ended many lives, and the story of that stone carries a strong social message. David remnick has been editor of the new yorker since 1998 and a staff writer since 1992. History meeting in kimberley, south africa to discuss blood diamonds in may 2000 a meeting of the diamond producing countries of south africa was convened in kimberley. Published in the print edition of the may 5, 2008, issue. Heart of darknessblood diamond essay 1194 words bartleby. Contextually there is a superficial alteration in the stimulus ivory vs. Before we get into the gruesome details of the corrupt african diamond trade, its important to note two things. As ivory coasts gbagbo holds firm, blood diamonds flow. Catholic social teaching wants exactly how the film pictures it to be.
Exports of blood diamonds have underwritten grisly civil conflicts in africa for more than 15 years, most famously in angola, sierra. Ngo opinions and initiatives on diamonds in conflict. Teacher will gather information from these facts and from. The hearts foundation lists some vital facts about forced mining of blood diamonds and actions we can take to be sure that our next jewelery purchase is conflictfree and ethical.
Turning necessity into a virtue with the same skill it has used for decades to promote. Although canada has a solid reputation for diamonds that are mined in an environmentally conscious and conflictfree way, you shouldnt consider stones from canada the only diamonds that are conflictfree. The united nations identified the issue of african blood diamonds being used as a source of funding for the civil wars in africa in 1998. London journalists harley kirkpatrick and annie shepherd sense the scoop of a lifetime when they try to trap a smuggler. Set during the sierra leone civil war in 19962001, the film depicts a country torn apart by the struggle between government loyalists and insurgent forces. Blood diamonds level 1 cambridge english readers by.