But diamonds haven't always been the status symbol of love that we think of today. Blood Diamond is based on Sierra Leone Civil war. For consumers, retailers, wholesalers, and producers, it is wise to stay as far away as possible from these diamonds. The company hired New York ad agency N.W. Diana Brown It was my duty to tell my story. ... Powell doctrine. But with control over so many diamonds, they worried about flooding the market, making the price too cheap to be worth the expense of mining them. There probably is. That took care of the supply, but how about the demand? Most of Blood Diamond‘s positivity takes the form of lessons learned from watching and being forced to mentally grapple with incomprehensible brutality.War is not always immoral. "The True Story of Blood Diamonds" When a small group tried to escape, they were brutally beaten and James watched while 2 of the boys died. Liberian president Charles G. Taylor was accused by the UN for supporting the RUF insurgency in Sierra Leone by providing training to insurgents and weapons in exchange for diamonds. Ayer to basically create demand for diamonds, which they did admirably, thanks to a copywriter named Mary Frances Gerety. Diamonds mined during the 20th-21st century civil wars in Angola, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Guinea Bis… 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 rebel-controlled diamond mine. The Green Family SOS Children’s Village Ondangwa officially opens! Share. Wow, that turns Blood Diamond into a completely different film, in my opinion. Despite many treaties, collaborations and other desperate attempts to ban them, blood diamonds still exist. To hear more about the entire history of the diamond trade, including what's going on today, you'll have to listen to the entire podcast. The story is interesting fiction, but it is based upon facts. The human cost of mining diamonds claims hundreds of lives, contributes to poverty, and causes environmental devastation. ... Defiance is a riveting adventure that showcases the extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers, simple farmers outnumbered and outgunned- who turned a group of war refugees into powerful freedom fighters. Several owners of smaller diamond mines joined up with the owners of larger mines to create a consortium called the De Beers Consolidated Mines, led by Cecil Rhodes. However, Blood Diamond doesn’t just focus on the war; it simply uses it to shape an adventure in which two characters from different worlds become allies. Through our work with children throughout Africa, SOS Children's Villages is all too familiar with the tragedy of child soldiers. Preamble “I am looking at an incredible view right now” says Danny Archer (Leonardo di Caprio), mortally wounded, taking in the beautiful African landscape while speaking on a Satphone to Maddie Bowen (Jennifer Connolly) as the Hollywood blockbuster movie Blood Diamond moves to … You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Unbelievably, there are an estimated 400,000 child soldiers in the world today - some as young as 8 years old! A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. Blood diamonds are stones that are mined, usually by slave labor, in war-torn countries. But without question, the story of Sierra Leone, and its destruction on behalf of the world's symbols of peace and love, is one that deserves the broad audience that Hollywood can deliver. Have you seen the movie Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio (who is nominated for an Oscar for his role)? Through our work with children throughout Africa, SOS Children's Villages is all too familiar with the tragedy of child soldiers. The film, Blood Diamonds-The True Story, is an assertive and fascinating documentary which explores infamous historical events. Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer - an ex mercenary from Zimbabwe - and Solomon Vandy - a Mende fisherman. The diamonds are illegally traded to fund the cost of the war for insurgents who oppose internationally recognized governments. But the hard truth is that years after the term blood diamond breached the public consciousness, there is almost no way to know for sure that you’re buying a diamond without blood on it. Thanks to Gerety and the Ayer ad agency, 75 percent of brides wears a diamond ring on her finger. It’s making the judgment that this kind of war—war based on greed and bloodlust—is immoral. Sponsor a child from conflict zones or make a donation to SOS Children's Villages and give hope to an innocent child. True, but ignorance of HIV transmission is rampant in pretty much every part of the world. But if you are asking whether director Edward Zwick drew on actual events to inspire his film, the answer is yes. First, 24 of our SOS children appeared as “extras” in the film (pictured right with Leonardo). The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—And Why the British Won’t Give It Back A star of London’s Crown Jewels, the Indian gem has a bloody history of colonial conquest Background of Blood Diamonds. While doing my research, I discovered that the NGO Global Witness had been the first to expose the blood diamond trade and call for action. Measuring a Diamond’s True Price BLESSING AND CURSE In Sierra Leone, a young diamond miner holds in his palm what he believes is a diamond at a mining pit near Koidu. What Are "Blood Diamonds"? It is truly horrific what children like James have experienced – but it’s not too late to save them. The actor was extremely touched by getting to know the children and also at learning how SOS has changed their lives. Blood diamonds are the “bad news diamonds” from Africa. SOS Children’s Villages works with other organizations in Africa to meet the urgent needs of these children by providing them with shelter, food, medical aid, clothes, and most importantly by healing their emotional scars with psychological help. The diamond engagement ring wasn't even a tradition in any country before De Beers got into the diamond business. 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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 True Story of Blood Diamonds By: Diana Brown. That diamond changed and ended many lives, and the story of that stone carries a strong social message. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Since diamonds had no physical value, Gerety assigned them emotional value. It is likely you’ve heard of “ blood diamonds ” or “ conflict ” diamonds, as these are sometimes referred to. The ScotiaMcLeod Fixed Floaters are Paddling for Rwanda! What are blood diamonds worth? It is truly a crime ... one of the most shameful and tragic realities children anywhere in the world endure today. That is a very good movie, i dont believe the movie is based on a true story. You can also watch videos and take surveys. Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. In sparsely populated Namaqualand, diamond giant De Beers was once the top employer, but its mines were closed in 2008. Illegal miners in South Africa risk death for a share of the diamonds that shaped the continent's biggest economy. The film is based around a true story, the Sierra Leone Civil War and the diamond trade, and that serve as the background. Blood Diamonds, The True Story Documentary of Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Republic of the Congo. De Beers controlled every step of the sale and distribution of the gems, and was able to decide how many diamonds to release, as well as set its own price points that had to be met worldwide, regardless of a jeweler's association with the De Beers diamond cartel. So Rhodes controlled the supply by creating intermediaries to buy the uncut diamonds from the De Beers company, send them on to cutters and polishers, and from there on to retail jewelers to sell. Five years ago I made the film Blood Diamond-- a story of the illicit diamond trade and its funding of the bloody civil war in Sierra Leone. SOS has a strong connection to Blood Diamond for two reasons. Blood Diamond. Public elections were violent and unsafe, and the educational system beg… But then, something changed — and changed the world forever. Suddenly, men didn't love their ladies if they didn't give them a huge diamond to signify the strength of their feelings. Is Blood Diamond a true story? Only kings or queens had them; they just weren't for "regular" people. Q & A. He explained that other children who couldn’t keep up were mutilated and left behind or killed outright. Sign up to Swagbucks and earn $100s a year by browsing the web as normal and shopping online. A tow truck operator with a big heart donates his tips, December 14, 2012 - Montreal - Ten Thousand Villages Event, The Dream Mountains Foundation Climbing Kilimanjaro, Emergency Response Program in Central African Republic, Our Honorary Board of Directors and Advisory Council, The Green Family - SOS Children's Village Ondangwa, Namibia. Remember too that this is a meta-narrative. Illegal miners in South Africa risk death for a share of the diamonds that shaped the continent's biggest economy. Unfortunately, the Kimberley Process can't regulate or prevent the numerous human rights violations inherent in the diamond trade, including child labor, worker exploitation and even death. And this story doesn’t seem to be trying to make that statement. I do know that it was based upon the conflict diamonds, and the violence that went along in the movie. The movie tells the story of the brutal African diamond trade and its horrific human toll. It now indicates all stones countries of origin and ensures that no money generated by their sales will fund militia groups. The diamond industry is abuzz over the new film Blood Diamond, a fictional account of rebel militias in Sierra Leone fueling a bloody civil war through the sale of … True Diamond Facebook page. The direction is just superb. The film is an eye opener to the global population on little-known truth regarding the diamond trade. And that "high price" of mining also wreaked havoc in the market around the turn of the 21st century — especially once consumers learned the sales of black market diamonds were funding terrorist militia groups. Firsr of all when you say Africa, you mean the second biggest continent of the world. 22. Two different worlds But then, a huge deposit of diamonds was discovered in South Africa. 20 March 2018. Due to post World War I austerity, the stones were seen by many as frivolous purchases — money down the drain. 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. Positive Elements. Directed by Edward Zwick. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Kagiso Kuypers. Villages were b… Initially, the RUF appeared to be fighting for the country's rural poor, but it quickly lost sight of its founding goals and began a brutal war of terror against ordinary Sierra Leoneans. About the Author: Greg Campbell is the author of "Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of … Is Blood Diamond (2006 movie) a true story based on the Sierra Leone Civil War? Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Copyright © 2021 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. Sitemap. Sierra Leone gained its independence from the UK in 1961 and the following years were marked by significant government corruption, inefficiency, and overall failure. 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And the Bushmen, who lived like their ancestors as hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari desert, are now living in relocation camps after diamonds were discovered on their traditional lands. James told of being forced to walk for weeks at great speed carrying heavy loads like a pack animal. Drama. The history of blood diamonds can be traced from the year 1989 when Liberia was under the influence of a civil war. I haven't lied and it is a true story." Africa is a large continent: 57+ countries (including the islands off of the continent’s coast); there are nearly 1 billion people. De Beers has been challenged many times, like when a mine was discovered in Siberia in 1955. Blood Diamonds - The True Story Sierra Leone Diamond Slaver y Documentary series exploring infamous historical events. The Countries Involved. Hollis says she has no further questions. Report Save. Works Cited. Personal Story. It threatens to be true in the Ivory Coast. Diamonds were a girl's best friend long before Marilyn Monroe sang that iconic number in the 1953 flick "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Before 1870, most diamonds were mined in India and South America, and they were pretty rare. Sierra Leone being one of the small country in the western part of Africa, facing America. That's when British imperialist, Cecil Rhodes, moved in and started buying up all the property he could, including a farm owned by two brothers named de Beer. We're watching a story that the grandfather in the story is reading aloud to his grandson. In sparsely populated Namaqualand, diamond giant De Beers was once the top employer, but its mines were closed in 2008. If you are asking whether the film is a sort of documentary, the answer is no. In the 1930s, the diamond market had been experiencing declining sales. People didn't want to buy these "blood diamonds," so the Kimberley Process was established 2000 as a sort of passport system for diamonds. From 1991–2002, the Revolutionary United Front(RUF) waged an insurrection that ravaged the tiny West African nation of Sierra Leone. Stuff They Don't Want You To Know hosts Ben Bowlin and Matt Frederick discuss what sparked that change with BrainStuff's Lauren Vogelbaum, and the three examine the often-grisly history of the stones so beloved by brides in "Diamonds: The Conspiracy". Diamond Statistics. 10.24am: More importantly, Blood Diamond hit home here at SOS because a big part of the story focuses on children who are forced to become soldiers. That's because in 1947, Gerety wrote the famed ad slogan "A Diamond is Forever," acknowledged today to be the greatest slogan in a century and studied even now in advertising classes. By 1888, Rhodes controlled the entire South African diamond supply. Is Blood Precious stone (2006 film) a genuine story dependent on the Sierra Leone Common War? I salute Edward Zwick for making it more realistic and feeling like a true-story (I mean of Archer and Solomon, not the whole “blood diamond” thing, because that was partially true) than a straight-up adventure film with a deep meaning and great set pieces. Blood Diamond is as important as any of the films we've seen over the years about the Holocaust. Getting involved. This instalment examines the little-known truth about how the worldwide diamond trade has funded wars across western and central Africa, leading to the deaths of millions of people. But the industry is still plagued with corruption. Won’t you help support these innocent victims? Although the Civil War of Sierra Leone did not officially begin until 1991, several events occurred in the decades leading up to the 90’s that ultimately pushed the country into violent conflict. These diamonds were a lot smaller than what the market wanted to buy, having always been told that the bigger, the better, but De Beers fixed that by creating the four C's system — clarity, carat, cut and color —so even smaller diamonds could cost as much as larger ones if they were "higher quality.". Most of them are from Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The very specific UN definition of blood diamonds was formulated during the 1990s, when brutal civil wars were being waged in parts of western and central Africa by rebel groups based in diamond-rich areas of their countries. 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 army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity. Eventually, the De Beers monopoly came to an end, and today diamond prices are driven by supply and demand. The conflict created over 2 million refugees and completely destroyed much of the country's infrastructure. (It's worth a listen just to hear Ben's Leonardo DiCaprio impression.). History of Blood Diamonds. In the event that you are asking whether the film is a kind of narrative, the appropriate response is no. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Instead of trying to compete with the new mine, De Beers offered to buy its supply, to incorporate it into the company's already-existing structures. More importantly, Blood Diamond hit home here at SOS because a big part of the story focuses on children who are forced to become soldiers. Was based upon the conflict diamonds, and the story of the boys died generated their... 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Explores infamous historical events provide social media features and to analyse our traffic treaties, collaborations and desperate! The continent 's biggest economy our cookies if you are asking whether film! Is truly horrific what children like James have experienced – but it ’ s making the judgment this. Illegal miners in South Africa risk death for a share of the brutal diamond... Men did n't love their ladies if they did n't give them a deposit..., collaborations and other desperate attempts to ban them, Blood Diamonds-The true story based the!