Dia Vandy's Analytical Essay: Blood Diamonds

reality of the most brutal 20th century civil war in Sierra Leone. Mariatu tells a very

The name "diamond" comes from the Greek word, "adamas" meaning unconquerable. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.[1][1] Diamonds have long been a sign of wealth and fortune. Kings and queens have worn these forms of concentrated carbon and even more countless millions people over time have lusted after them. These gems can be transparent, truculent white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. To understand the value of these stones, and ultimately their role in war, it helps to first understand their origins and where they come form.

All of us would find this topic in a way of inspirational because no matter what may be taking place, there can be an instant where the painful story that's taking place would be told and because of this story being told, changes will be made. For instance, Campbell speaks of Ismail Dalramy who lost his hands in 1996 by way of an ax. Amputation was one of many brutal tactics, as well as torture, mass rapes and looting done by the Revolutionary United Front or the (RUF). This is only just a little taste of what the African had to undergo because of the sick diamond trade. But, even so this helped bring light to what was wrong and helped more right to come out of. This book continued shedding light on the overworked but underpaid Africans in the mines. A tourist once mentioned, "The pit looked more like a slave colony". "On all sides, rib-skinny men stripped to their shorts were covered in mud and slime, the inevitable results of their jobs digging for diamonds". "Even though it was barely 10 a.m., they all looked exhausted”. This is needless to say extremely sad because there were Africans that were worked like crazy but barely getting paid, rest, or rewards. Instead there is nothing but turmoil agony and pain.

Sierra Leone has been involved in a humungous amount of absurd human rights violations since 1991 when the civil war erupted. This detailed paper on the book, A Long Way Gone, set in Sierra Leone, will create interest by summarizing the memoir through descriptive examples and text on symbolism and imagery. The author of this memoir A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is Ishmael Beah, it's difficult to believe that this is a true and harsh story. You will be learning about Ishmael's resilience and the horrible struggles he faced as a child soldier, while somehow continuing to have hope. Ishmael Beah, 12 at the beginning of this memoir, unexpectedly gets recruited into a time consuming war over blood diamonds, against the rebels as a young child. Ishmael is at a loss, since with his own eyes he viewed not only his loving family, but his whole village as it was horrifically torn down by the dangerous rebels. Ishmael is not physically lonely during the book, but he is emotionally

Imagine having to fight in a war you don’t want to fight in, seeing friends and family die all around you, but no matter how far you run you can never escape. Child soldiers in Sierra Leone do not have to imagine this - for them, it is reality. Ishmael Beah, who became a soldier at just age 12, as well as researchers such as Christophe Bayer, Fionna Klasen, Hubertus Adam know too well that the events in the war can never be forgotten. The story Beah told in his memoir A Long Way Gone captures the inhumane events that take place in Sierra Leone and tells of a story that many children have to endure. Sources like Harvard claim “among the 87 war-torn countries...300,000 - 500,000 children are involved with fighting forces as child soldiers.” Many of those children are being forced into the war without any choice at all and having to kill others as well. With this information we’re forced to ask the question: how are these children being affected by the war?

Beah witnesses and is affected by innumerable physical injuries. Appalling acts of violence cause “blood to sprinkle like rain”(25), and children are forced to patrol “in special units killing and maiming civilians”(37). These injuries inflict “too much pain and shock to shed tears”(13). In Sierra Leone the army “attacked civilian villages”(122), causing “a lot of civilian casualties”(123). The conflict led to immense casualties and caused egregious permanent injuries. The Revolutionary United Front carve “RUF”(21) on the bodies of people they send as messengers, and remove all of their “fingers with the exception of the thumb”(21). These markings are permanent, and serve as a constant reminder of the war and the atrocities committed in it. Exposure to immense loss of life and suffering worsens mental health and leads to a loss of community. Physical injuries can be detrimental to the livelihoods of copious people, since they become unable to accomplish tasks that they could previously. In addition to direct physical harm, violence can also cause physical harm indirectly. In Sierra Leone, the civil war lead to widespread starvation and malnourishment. Beah and his companions became “so hungry that it hurt to drink water”(30). A lack of agricultural production, due to a shortage of farmers and a lack of commerce, due to a lack of public safety hindered the distribution of food. Starvation leads to

Whilst leading to civilians fleeing Sudan and Sierra Leone to start new lives. The histories behind both wars are quite similar as both were solely motivated by natural resources and power imbalance. As The Revolutionary United Front had established in 1991 as rebel army that shared one goal, which was to overthrow Sierra Leone's government. Often referred to as the “Blood Diamond” era in certain African countries. Although diamonds and natural resources were a significant motivating factor, there were other causes of the Sierra Leone Civil War. Such as the pre-war frustrations and injustices that had transpired for decades. More than twenty years of poor governance, poverty and corruption created a setting for the RUF causing a rebellion, as civilians desired for change in Sierra Leone. Corruption and mismanagement led to the downfall of the country leading to an increase of recruits for the RUF. For Sierra Leoneans who did not have access to cultivating land, joining the rebel cause was an opportunity to seize property with deadly force. After leaving over 50 000 casualties and 2.6 million citizens displaced from Sierra Leone. The war came to an end in 2002 concluding in a loss for the

The diamond in the rough saying has been used around the world for many decades. This saying is used to explain the beautiful struggle an individual had to go through to overcome adversity and potentially transform into a beautiful, resilient being. What about the individuals who face adversity on a consistent basis? According to Dr. Andrew Snelling, “Diamonds may get all the attention, but rubies and sapphires are the first choice of kings and the affluent because of their extreme rarity. Only special conditions, initiated by the Flood, could have produced these rare beauties (2010).” Sapphires emerge from the mineral called corundum, which is the

The government continued to be extremely corrupt, there were still ethnic tensions, and Liberia, the neighboring country, was in its own civil war spreading violence into Sierra Leone. Along with that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was formed. This group overran the diamond mines of Sierra Leone and caused enough trouble for the military to have to get involved launching Sierra Leone’s civil war on March 23, 1991. For further reading into causes of the civil war in Sierra Leone click this link. The civil war lasted much longer for one reason being the vast amounts of diamonds. To the right you can see an image of the illegal diamond mining in Sierra Leone. The RUF funded their rebellious cause selling the diamonds, and since they are sold to fund war they are known as blood diamonds. In order to end the civil war Britain once again had to step into Sierra Leone and send its own military to stop the brutal civil war finally ending the 11 year war on January 18, 2002. (Sierra Leone, Royal African Society). If you would like to view more on Sierra Leone’s civil war the following links are to videos documenting the events of the war: link (long video est.1 hr 30 min), link (short video est. 14

The blood of my people stains my homeland. The violence stripped away my family, my home, and my childhood. Although many people are unaware of the horrors in Sierra Leone, I believe that sharing my story will enlighten the world about my country's sufferings and thus bring hope to others.

As a little boy, I’d sworn never to be like him. But in war, nothing is the same and one’s priorities get shuffled. Alcohol never passed my lips; it’s true. All the same, now I lie here dying, muttering the same phrase and wishing to forget. Too bad I couldn’t tell my father—he might have been proud I’d finally given up. He may have even offered me a shot, which—who knows?—I may have even accepted! Look who I’d become. Well I was in for it now, so I might as well say that bitter, repulsive phrase again: Perhaps it was better this way—better I remain a broken nameless soldier, my story told, but my self

Slavery was abolished in the year of 1865; however, the maltreatment of African-Americans has not. Similarly, the triangular slave trade mentioned in Hartman’s book is no longer existent, but inhumane conditions still exist amongst the African community. These conditions are recurring motifs that hip-hop artist try to bring to mainstream audiences. The blood diamond industry began in the 1990s with the rebel group, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by Foday Sankoh, who had claimed they would improve the destitute conditions of the Africans and take better care of them than the African government. However, they later went against these promises and “seized control of diamond-producing regions in the east and south of Sierra Leone” (Fofana,

The story of these infamous diamonds all started with a fifteen year old who found a diamond in his father 's arm. The diamond business started in 1935 when “De Beers” took all control over dining prospects in Sierra Leone. De Beers are a group of companies has a main role in the exploration of diamonds, as well as diamond mining, diamond retail, diamond trading, and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors.This group was founded in 1888, and they are responsible for the problems Sierra Leone is facing today. These diamonds can be found in volcanic pipes. Diamonds are a pure form of carbon in a transparent state. Diamonds have always been a sign of wealth. Historically kings and queens were known for wearing these. Over time many people began lusting over them.

Not only does this issue involve the politics of the diamond trade and the involvement of outside parties, but it is also a devastatingly serious human rights violation to the civilians of Angola. “There is an average of 52 land mine incidents per month and approximately 1 out of every 356 Angolans is an amputee as a result of these bloody conquests”[4]. It was determined in a United Nations Security Council meeting that “there are clear and major weaknesses in systems for controlling diamond trading, which no single country can address effectively because of the many alternative routes available to illicit diamond traders”[5]. Therefore, in order to combat the civil fighting between UNITA and the MPLA, we must educate ourselves about UNITA’s diamond trade, prohibit the sale of blood diamonds, and achieve a commitment from diamond dealers that their diamonds originate from conflict-free mines.

Diamonds are the most expensive and beautiful jewels in the world. Throughout the mankind’s history these desirable, exceptional, and alluring gemstones have been attracting much attention. Uncut stones decorated the armor of knights and faceted ones embellished the crowns of royal persons. The owners of diamonds were adored and envied as crystals were sparkling on noble ladies and fascinated all the people around them. Nowadays, diamonds are viewed not only as symbols of love and betrothal, but also as profitable object of investment. The first such gemstones were found in ancient times in India. However, people do not know the exact date of their discovery. At the beginning of the Renaissance period diamonds appeared in Europe with great fame (Epstein, 1982). For many centuries people had believed that they had some anagogical power like bringing success to their owners, protecting them from diseases and wounds, and giving courage and bravery during the battle. In European countries symbolic interpretation of diamonds was very broad and included steadiness, courage,