Diamonds



-Diamonds are the most frequently used form capital by the rebels in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo use to purchase weapons. The earliest gem diamonds were found in India and Borneo, were they were found in riverbeds. In the early eighteenth century, deposits similar to those in India were found in Brazil.
 * History of Diamonds **

The story of diamonds in Africa began between December 1866 and February 1867, when a 15-year-old found a transparent stone on his father's farm, on the south bank of the Orange River. Within the next fifteen years, African diamond mines produced more diamonds than the India, the previous leading producer, had in the last 2,000 years. This increase in production occurred at the same time as the diamond mines in Brazil experiences a sharp decline in their production. The depletion of mines in Brazil assured that supply would remain stable and diamond prices would not fall as they previously had when Brazil over produced in the 1730s.

In 1961, Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain. It was after gaining its independence diamond smuggling become a political problem as well as an economic one. In 1968, populist **Siaka Stevens** became prime minister, bringing the country to a one-party ruler. Stevens was the first person to officially connect the diamond mines to political power and profit, and he encouraged illicit mining to gain political power. He nationalized the diamond mines and De Beers' SLST by creating the National Diamond Mining Co. Through NDMC, Stevens gave himself and his key advisor, Lebanese businessman Jamil Mohammed, control of the diamond mines.



**Conflict diamonds** are diamonds illegally traded to fund conflict in war-torn areas, particularly in central and western Africa.​ The conflict begun by rebels who claimed to be ridding the mines of foreign control, killed 50,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes, destroyed the country’s economy and shocked the world with its images of amputated limbs and drug-addled boy soldiers.

As a result of these grave tragedies, the world is now starting to take small steps in an effort to eliminate conflict diamonds. The UN has placed embargos on conflict diamonds, while providing peacekeepers, economic aid, and other sources of assistance. There has also been the introduction of the Kimberley process. The Kimberley Process is a certification system for monitoring a diamonds origin from the mine, up until it reaches the hands of the distributors. With this process, all diamonds collected from a mine are sealed in containers, and given warrantees. As they move from location to location, they are given further identifications to verify their origin. The United States is currently working on legislation for the Clean Diamond Act. This act would ban any diamonds that come from an unknown origin. Both the Clean Diamond Act and the Kimberly process are an attempt to create a diamond paper trail and to eliminate conflict diamonds from the diamond markets. While these resolutions are both a good start, it is clear that it will take more for this conflict to be resolved.

**Wiki Post Assignment:** After learning about conflict diamonds, listen to this song by Lupe Fiasco and five people in class will initiate a discussion about the song. Initiators: Post up a strong comment that will attract people towards discussion. MUST BE an original direction than the other initiators and I expect you to follow where this discussion leads.

Responders: Need to comment on three of the five initiators. Also, I'm looking for a thread of a discussion where you will respond to the most recent post and not just the original one. That means you too have to post up something to talk about.

*Who are initiators? First ones to take the initiative. In life, you are either an innovator or a consumer. Which one would you like to play for this post?

= "Diamonds are Forever" by Lupe Fiasco Lyrics =

Diamonds are forever They won't leave in the night I've no fear that they might desert me

Allow me to break down the game behind the bracelets, earrings, chains, watches and rings The bling the crystal incrusted, princess flooded canary studded, blue colored and blood stained Yeah, the older brother of the drug game the giver of fame, the take awayer of lame The empowerer of the kings that came with claims and disease to leave where the native peoples were staying Believe, my engagement ring received And flossed at the cost of a bondage child minus pain Long ago kings use to wear them in their armor when they fought other armies Because it use to scare them If you wasn't rich, couldn't wear them Witches use to marry them They'll shoot you before they share them The gift and the curse, the venom and the serum Most hated lady's best friend, get murked for a cerium

[Chorus]

Cecil Rhodes sold war and genocide Into the countryside just to get his shine on I fear what De Beers and his peers use to do  Before the world really knew, just to get their mine on  Making paper with slave labor And hitting little kids with life time bids making them cut and shine stones Inflating the price and making them look nice And I wasn't thinking twice when I was putting mine on About a young shorty in Sierra Leone Or other conflict countries that people call home I figured I would never go to Angola So it never did affect me there, maybe indirectly That my neck leash was funding a rebellion or a military coup Started by militias that don't believe in following none of Geneva's rules I was brushing off the haters, trying to be cool Didn't have a clue that the rapper was helping the rapers Raiders of the villagers, pillagers of the schools Shooters of the innocent, torturers of the witnesses Burners of the businesses and my bracelet was the fuel Uhh, I ain't pushing an agenda homie I'm just pushing the facts, fuck Bush Cuz there's people doing worse on this earth and there black I took it for years now let me bring it back We all know on foreign shores that they finance wars But ask yourself do they finance yours When I first got mine I took them out on tour Didn't know they lost half the value when I took them out the store Or it was full of moissanites and cubics But the jeweler knew I was stupid And that I couldn't prove it Feeling like I need it because I do music To impress the groupies and the interviewers So I didn't appraise it, nor did I loop it Even gave them to my girl, thinking I was cupid Homies was all hate hoping they could make me lose it Creeping through my own hood knew I had to remove it  I see the Russian Mafia, the Jewish Mobsters The undercover terrorists and the traps for the hustlers Homie it's a wrap for the nonsense rhyming Props to Kanye I call this Conflict Diamonds

[Chorus] media type="youtube" key="i3Z4K_WWeBA" height="390" width="480" [|Diamonds are Forever on YouTube]