Blood Diamonds
Diamonds are symbols of wealth, elegance and love around the world. But in several African nations, they have been a means to power, a reason to terrorize millions of innocent civilians, and may have even helped finance some of the world's most brutal terrorists. The human cost of the illicit global diamond trade is examined in the provocative documentary.
Because they are portable, easily concealed, and untraceable, diamonds lend themselves to smuggling and corruption. In several underdeveloped African nations, warlords have used diamonds to help finance wars, while the rest of the world has turned a blind eye. Rebel armies have forced tens of thousands of people to mine diamonds in brutal, dangerous conditions under the threat of death, their pay as paltry as a cup of rice per day. In Sierra Leone, rebels chopped off people's hands, arms, feet, lips, and ears indiscriminately for years during a civil war financed in part by the trade of illicit diamonds.
BLOOD DIAMONDS looks to some of the world's foremost experts for the facts of the history of the diamond trade, and goes to the heart of the matter, interviewing both the victims and perpetrators of diamond-fueled atrocities in countries like Sierra Leone. One such victim is Usman Conteh. Captured by rebels in Sierra Leone's Kono district, Usman was forced to mine diamonds for rebels - diamonds the rebels then sold or traded for arms. After months in captivity, Usman escaped only to find rebels had murdered his family.
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. BLOOD DIAMONDS also looks at the steps eventually taken by advocacy organizations and the diamond industry to combat the problem.
what was the man's name in the beginning who they interviewed
Who is the source of this documentary? Please help
the history channel
Just in case the De Beers spokesman was not clear enough,we should all remember that De Beers has "never" purchased a "conflict" diamond and I'm sure they never will..........As long as they can be called something else at the time.
You're making false statements,,de beers has recieved conflict diamonds,,
There are people who must control the flow of all diamonds to control and inflate the price. These manipulators, primarily in the Republic of South Africa, want to taint any diamonds produced elsewhere as "blood" or "conflict" diamonds. Keep that in mind when you jump on their bandwagon. Their self-righteous outrage over "blood diamonds" is economic, not political.
For my first marriage my ex-husband insisted on buying a diamond. He went to a major diamond company and bought a ring. I am now engaged again under the condition that if we buy a wedding set that it has to be lab created diamonds that are used. I have done some research and found they are virtually similar, have higher purity standards, and they still last forever.
With all of the ridiculous restrictions the UN soldiers have on fighting they are rendered mostly ineffective anyway. I don't know if this still applies, but I read somewhere that a UN soldier cant fire on the enemy, even if they are known to be a bad person, unless they are directly being fired on. Makes no sense to me. It is like all of the prolonged US wars such as Vietnam and now Afghanistan, along with other long arduous wars between other countries, were completely ignored. In order to get anything done, every means to achieve that goal must be utilized: Powell doctrine. Look how true this point is in The Gulf war, where the US went full board. Then compare that to Vietnam, where the US soldiers had stupid rules on where and what that could attack. It seems counter intuitive to be self restricted from achieving your own goals, but that is the world we live in. Sanctions and other trade restrictions are the most damaging thing the UN can do to an enemy. However this leaves a number of problems not just for the government of the country under sanctions, but for the citizens of that country. There are so many things in this world that needs to stop. Someone in power, who can think for their self, needs to do something about the endless pit of debt that banks create. Its bad for the developed countries, but its detrimental for the under developed third world countries. The best thing we can do in Africa is to help school their children. Peace is a product of education and violence/discrimination is product of ignorance. If the majority of the population in Africa were to become intellectual in the following generations, eventually the violent and warring people will become old and their ways of think will die. Yes, this is the ideal outcome, but the reality is there will be suffering in this way as well. Its a tough situation.....
With all of the ridiculous restrictions the UN soldiers have on fighting they are rendered mostly ineffective anyway. I don't know if this still applies, but I read somewhere that a UN soldier cant fire on the enemy, even if they are known to be a bad person, unless they are directly being fired on. Makes no sense to me. It is like all of the prolonged US wars such as Vietnam and now Afghanistan, along with other long arduous wars between other countries, were completely ignored. In order to get anything done, every means to achieve that goal must be utilized: Powell doctrine. Look how true this point is in The Gulf war, where the US went full board. Then compare that to Vietnam, where the US soldiers had stupid rules on where and what that could attack. It seems counter intuitive to be self restricted from achieving your own goals, but that is the world we live in. Sanctions and other trade restrictions are the most damaging thing the UN can do to an enemy. However this leaves a number of problems not just for the government of the country under sanctions, but for the citizens of that country. There are so many things in this world that needs to stop. Someone in power, who can think for their self, needs to do something about the endless pit of debt that banks create. Its bad for the developed countries, but its detrimental for the under developed third world countries. The best thing we can do in Africa is to help school their children. Peace is a product of education and violence/discrimination is product of ignorance. If the majority of the population in Africa were to become intellectual in the following generations, eventually the violent and warring people will become old and their ways of think will die. Yes, this is the ideal outcome, but the reality is there will be suffering in this way as well. Its a tough situation.....
Right, I will post before I watch because I fear I will be too traumatized afterward (this film has a lot of hype). I am diamond hunting for my engagement ring. Like many women I want that perfect princess cut...It will take a bit to wrap my head around how selfish I have been in this desire. My man will be very happy tho!! :P
Honestly, I don't know what to say!
what do you expect when you go into a poor country and tell them a worthless stone is worth 15million$ ?
globalism at work... i wish the 'developed' world would get out of africa completly.. no trade, no "aid" no "peacekeeping."
Damn the people!! All people regardless of skin color.
when the law and order disappears in the community it seems that collective madness,extreme brutality is inevitable..im really sorry for all those disabled people...
Notice that the UN only intervenes when the worst of the violence is over...then it's all about "peace-making."
Have i just watched the same programme as Yavanna and christ puncher because this was not about the white or the black man it was about exposing the greed and evil sadistic ways of man period. Why do some people jump on the race card all the time, just accept that there are some very evil people out there no matter what colour.
its sad that people who buy loads of diamonds don't even know or maybe don't really care about the people who died and suffered for that little shiny thing. ignorance is not bliss.
You could argue that whitey keeps the demand in the market high. But the warlords also kill to control food and water, which the white man has little to do with, other than donating the food itself...usually. Diamonds are a small, but expensive part of that control. You CANNOT blame white society for the warlords manipulation and control of the market
I'm sorry but there is no race issue here. At all. It is generic greed that is the problem. Greed of the warlords and the west, i.e. both black and white. If you REALLY want to play the race card, there was a good doc on ivory last night on BBC that is predominantly being funded by the Chinese too.
This involves every race, and it's bigoted idiots like you that keep the black-white animosity alive after all this time.
Brutal. I have no other words. Blacks enslaving blacks, chopping off limbs and so forth. This has very little to do with romanticising white women. get a grip. This is greedy African leaders stealing all for themselves and taking the best deals. Sometimes it isn't the big bad white man.
people are crazy for diamonds without knowing the fact how n where it comes from... blood shines frm it.... n will forever cos diamonds are forever.....is it still ur best friend GIRLS??????
How is a rock worth a man's life? It is ironic that women desire a big rock from their men to show the size of the man's love for her. In reality she may as well just ask the man to go kill someone, to prove his love for her.
Well said, and after seeing this doc, I don't think I'll ask for a diamond ring when I get married. Hell, isn't having my man enough already?
- a girl :)
The weak and poor people continue to suffer, no matter where they are.
Strange to see that whole world was silent in 1990