Blood Diamonds A.K.A Conflict Diamonds

I recently watched the movie Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  This movie focuses on the illegal diamond smuggling that goes on in Africa, set in the 1990's.  The focus is on a young diamond smuggler, Danny Archer (DiCaprio), from Zimbabwe.  In the beginning, he is caught trying to move diamonds accross the border of Sierra Leone and thrown in jail.  While detained, he learns about a local man named Solomon Vandy, played by Djimon Hounsou, who has found a very rare pink diamond, while working in a diamond mining camp run by the RUF (the rebble group).  The movie follows Archer and Vandy as they try to recover the diamond and stay out of reach of the RUF.  This movie is based on true events that take place even to this day in Africa.  Diamonds are smuggled out of conflict areas that are controlled by rebel groups and taken to peaceful countries, they then export them outside of Africa.  These diamonds cost people their lives.  Villages are raided by the rebel groups, where they take able-bodied men to work in their diamond mining camps.  These diamonds are referred to as "Conflict Diamonds".  They are mixed in with "Clean" diamonds when they buffed and cut, thus hiding their "true" identity and the price paid.  These diamonds are then shipped out to manufacturers around the world.  Californians live a life of luxery without having to worry about being taken from our home to work in a diamond mine.  We do not constantly live in fear of our family being taken away, or our whole towns oblitereated by rebels against the government.  We live the California Dream, something that those stuck in the African conflict can't even fathom.  So, the next time you go to buy a diamond, make sure that it is a "Conflict Free" diamond.  You can ask for a "Certificate of Origin", therefore authenticating the diamond not being a part of this African conflict.  I would reccommend this movie as a good wake-up call to Californians living our California Dream. 

Comments

[Beatriz Palmer]

I saw this movie too and I have to say I will never look at diamonds the same way. Everytime I look at my diamond ring I now wonder if someone had to die for just a piece shimmer, beauty, and vanity. I recently baught my husband a new ring with diamonds to replace his old humble circle of gold symbolizing our eternal commitment to one another. I now ask myself why I had to replace it, it was still good? I guess everyone has some vanity deep down.

[Crystal]

I remember seeing that movie and its pretty sad how people would be willing to kill for materialistic items without caring about what happens to other people.I suppose that's the kind of society we live in and unfortunately its accepted as long as we get something out of it as it was shown in the movie.