Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone. How the diamond trade is enslaving millions of africans. It was released on july 4, 2005, as the lead single of his second studio album, late registration. Sierra leone history bibliographies cite this for me.
In sierra leone the diamond industry was dominated by the sierra leone selection trust slst, a branch of the london based west african selection trust. 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. War for diamonds executive outcomes in sierra leone. These are the sources and citations used to research blood diamonds sierra leone. This paper critically analyzes the related film blood diamond 2006 in. The conflicts in sierra leone have generated a great body of research in the last ten years.
Although the exact date that blood diamonds have been a problem is not known, it is thought to have become a prominent issue around the 1980s. These wars involve inhumane practices such as rape, torture, and slavery involving children. The history of blood diamonds can be traced from the year 1989 when liberia was under the influence of a civil war. Sierra leone history slideshow video of historic photos. Diamonds from sierra leone is a song by american hiphop artist kanye west. Sierra leones diamonds have been used to finance factions in lebanons civil war, criminal networks in the us and russia, and alqaeda. The cash that it earned was used to finance the war.
Land sierra leones 350mi 560km atlantic coastline is made up of a belt. In 2018, sierra leone made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Sierra leonethe setting for much of the film blood diamondhas improved as well, though the countrys recent ebola outbreak set back some of that progress. Will sierra leones peace diamond benefit the poor or. Sierra leones civil war internally displaced as many as 2 million people, or almost half the population, and forced almost another half million to seek refuge in neighboring countries 370,000 sierra leoneans fled to guinea and 120,000 to liberia. Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990s sierra leone, blood diamond is the story of danny archer an ex mercenary from zimbabwe and solomon vandy a mende fisherman. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.
Leone in 1999, as depicted in the film blood diamond. What is the history behind blood diamonds sierra leone. This book weaves a narrative of the history of sierra leone, from its foundation as a settlement for black slaves through the civil war, with a discussion of more general geopolitical lessons to be learned. Profits from the diamond mines supported by child soldiers, child laborers, and adult slaves finance armed wars and conflicts. Footpaths to democracy revolutionary united front of sierra leone sierra leoneweb. Us national arrested on sierra leone blood diamond charges. The country is also rich in diamonds and other minerals. The hawaii five0 2010 episode kalele revolves around the smuggling of conflict diamonds. Jun 05, 2009 we use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Oct 25, 2012 the sierra leone civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems in sierra leone society which increased grievances among people and, accordingly, led to the emergence of the ruf. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on monday, march 7, 2016. Many people who saw the movie blood diamond learned for the first time something about the terrible war in sierra leone and the trade in blood diamonds, but they were also confronted with a completely new type of mercenary. In 20, a civil war erupted in the central african republic, with both sides fighting over the countrys diamond resources. Footpaths to democracy revolutionary united front of sierra leone sierra leoneweb, 2017 your bibliography.
Internal conflict crippled the country from the late 1980s onward, culminating in a brutal civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002. Pdf a critical reading of blood diamond 2006 in the. Diamond mining in africa child labor conflict diamonds. It is one of 6 edited books on postconflict peacebuilding and natural resource. The history of african blood diamonds sierra leone sierra leone is a country in west africa which is bordered by guinea on the north and liberia on the south, with the atlantic ocean on the west of this. As sierra leone sheds its image of war and blood diamonds the bbcs mark doyle visits the east of the country to see how investment is helping transform lives. Its land yields diamonds, gold, bauxite, and rutile titanium dioxide. The main minerals mined in sierra leone are diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold, iron and limonite mining in sierra leone has been seen as one of the key factors for instability in the. Based on this act, it violated 1991 bicesse accords. Diamonds led to a decadelong civil war in sierra leone with rebels forcing civilians to mine gems and buying weapons with the profits, giving birth to the term blood diamonds. The sierra leonean diamond funded the most notorious, brutal, animalistic and cynical rebel groups ever to have been known in the history of mankind and warfare.
The name diamond comes from the greek word, adamas meaning unconquerable. Infiltrating and shutting down a blood diamond mine in equatorial guinea. The 2006 epic film blood diamond, starring leonardo dicaprio, is about the very topic of how diamonds were used to help the ruf fund their war against sierra leone s government. First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These awful facts about blood diamonds will make your. Freelance journalist campbell here writes about the. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to. Created by ade daramy for sierra leone s 55th independence anniversary. Causes of the war and factors that sust ained the war. These awful facts about blood diamonds will make your heart. This will segue into the postconflict challenges and opportunities faced by sierra leone, as well as a.
Such high figures were surprising for a country that is relatively poor in diamond resources. The narrative ends just before the civil war breaks out but for those interested in the war, the issues leading up to it are very well covered. Three specific conflictsin angola, the democratic republic of the congo, and sierra leonedirected world attention to the destructive role of diamonds, though the. While they may seem a symbol of happiness, the reality of the gems is far from that. Conflict diamonds 4 ideas for action from the corporate action network can and the drc country action program drc cap the movie blood diamond depicts a period in sierra leones recent history when the use of child soldiers was endemic. Emmanuel momoh was the leader of the freelance mining team that discovered a 706carat diamond in sierra leone, a country known for producing some of the purest and most lucrative. Angolan journalist settles defamation case over blood diamonds book.
Sierra leone has been a source of and destination for refugees. Sierra leones traffic in diamonds has left a trail of carnage. The sorry role the diamond has played in the history of sierra leone, stunningly told by journalist campbell the road to kosovo, 1999. In sierra leone diamond sale, echoes of corruption and conflict. This paper critically analyzes the related film blood diamond 2006 in order.
The track features a sample of the song diamonds are forever by shirley bassey. Although diamonds seemingly played a significant role in financing the war once it started, diamonds more likely contributed to corrupting. Diamond miners in sierra leone sifting through the sand in search of diamonds. After it was recognized that unita used the money from the sales of diamonds to fund. Many such scholarly endeavors focus on the roles played by diamonds, child soldiers, and international responses in the conflicts as well as the consequential gross human rights violations as preludes to understanding the conflict and its implications for sierra leone as a nation. Pdf a critical reading of blood diamond 2006 in the context of. Between 1992 and 1999, sierra leone was engaged in a civil war which was blamed primarily on a scramble for diamonds. After blood diamonds the moral economy of illegality in the sierra. Organised mining began in the 1920s with bauxite first being recorded in 1920 along the falaba to waia road. In certain ways the movie weve made is very conventional, an action drama about three. Miners are dying in accidents, child labor is widespread, and corrupt leaders are depriving diamond mining communities of funds badly needed for economic development. Sierra leones war over conflict diamonds began in march 1991 when a few hundred men crossed over the liberian border and attacked towns in eastern and southern sierra leone.
Diamonds that come from conflict areas like those from sierra leone aptly called blood diamonds accounts for about five per cent of global output. Between 1992 and 1999, sierra leone was engaged in a civil war which was. 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. Awardwinning journalist greg campbell traces the deadly trail of these. Blood diamonds sierra leone geography bibliographies cite. A million diamond diggers in africa earn less than a dollar a day. To do so, i first present an economic history of the conflict in sierra leone that focuses on the role of diamonds and other natural resources in initiating, perpetuating, and ending the conflict. The countries involved in the illicit trading of blood diamonds include angola, the democratic republic of congo, liberia, and sierra leone. Antwerp belgium, liberian diamond exports between 1990 and 1999 were. While the conflict has ended in sierra leone, neighboring cote divoire is still. This book was wellwritten by a native of sierra leone and it depicts the most important events in the countrys history from prehistorical times until the 1990s.
We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. The ruf was a highly barbaric, taking villages by heavy artillery to gather men for sifting through infested lakes, rivers and digging to find diamonds. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on sunday, july 23, 2017. Blood diamonds sierra leone geography bibliographies.
Oct 16, 2015 between 1992 and 1999, sierra leone was engaged in a civil war which was blamed primarily on a scramble for diamonds. Half million of refugees and thousands of amputees. Blood diamonds costed more than 50,000 people dead. Diamonds from sierra leone peaked at number 43 on the billboard hot 100, and peaked at number 8 on the uk top 40. Conflict diamonds remain a problem in 2018 miadonna. Until the middle of the civil war, the country also exported other. Three specific conflictsin angola, the democratic republic of the congo, and sierra leone directed world attention. Apr 05, 2018 sierra leone has experienced substantial economic growth in recent years, although the ruinous effects of the civil war continue to be felt. The marginalization and exclusion of sierra leone, this book argues, mean that it, and other such resourcerich nations, remain reliant on aid. Both men are african, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that. The mining industry of sierra leone accounted for 4. A pdf copy published for sierra leones 55th independence anniversary. President bio and vice president jalloh together with officials from ministries, departments, and agencies, donated 3 months of their salaries to eliminate school fees for more than 2 million students in primary and secondary education.
Blood diamonds really shone light onto the issue bringing more awareness to it, just like the move did aswell. Celebrating prezis teacher community for teacher appreciation week. Maddy publishes a book exposing the culprits involved in trading. May 24, 2018 ruf leaders were aware that whoever controlled the diamond mines would then control sierra leone, and the profits from smuggled diamonds funded its attack. A pdf copy of the book printed for sierra leone s golden jubilee. The conflict in sierra leone essay 3259 words 14 pages. Diamonds that fuel civil wars are often called blood or conflict diamonds. Use the link to access the paper, and then download the pdf. Created by ade daramy for sierra leones 55th independence anniversary. Lenneke sprik finds that this read is useful for scholars and students with a specific. Many of the worlds diamonds are mined using practices that exploit workers, children, and communities. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds. A pdf copy published for sierra leone s 55th independence anniversary.
The trade in blood diamonds was the focal point of the trial, which demonstrated how natural resource exploitation can serve to fund armed conflict and lead to the abuse of human rights. A political history by david harris examines 225 years of the countrys history and fifty years of independence, placing statesociety relations at the centre of this investigation of those who have tried to rule or change sierra leone. The sierra leone civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems in sierra leone society which increased grievances among people and, accordingly, led to the emergence of the ruf. 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.
Pdf blood diamonds in sierra leone elisa sguaitamatti. The kimberley process certification scheme kimberley process was set up by governments to stop the trade in blood diamonds. Campbell, a very dedicated worker, has traveled all over the globe to many exotic places such as sierra leone and the. Id read books about the colonial scramble for africa, about the exploitation of its ivory, rubber and gold, but to learn the history of diamonds was to learn the story of africa all over again. Diamonds were found in the early 1930s, from 1934 to 1956 the sierra leone selection trust slst held the monopoly for mining, prospecting for and marketing diamonds throughout sierra leone. During sierra leones civil war 19912002, the countrys diamonds became.
A pdf copy of the book printed for sierra leones golden jubilee. It is bordered by the atlantic ocean in the west, by guinea in the north and east, and by liberia in the south. Blood diamonds is a thriller fiction book title by jon land, 2002. Leone is blood diamonds, greg campbell had the experience of a lifetime by. When i first read about sierra leone, i was shocked. Jan 23, 2017 despite this, according to amnesty international, the modern blood diamonds or conflict diamonds have a history in the democratic republic of congo, angola, zimbabwe, and sierra leone. Jul 23, 2017 these are the sources and citations used to research sierra leone. Although most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, sierra leone is also a mining centre. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds the civil war in sierra leone has been one of the most grotesque ones in history, and the nations rich diamond reserves have driven much of the violence. Blood diamonds had many ups and downs throughout the story. List of books and articles about sierra leone history.
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