And the children of africa had it far worst than any adult. The film, although it has been called mild in comparison to reality, depicts the. Blood diamond by riley quinn grabbed me from the first line and never let go. Sierra leones diamonds still a source of contention.
Angolas diamond trade has been mired in blood for decades, but while the precious gems may no longer be fueling conflicts, parts of the industry are still just as brutal and corrupt as ever. The name diamond comes from the greek word, adamas, meaning unconquerable. 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 armys war efforts, or a warlords activity. One such unfortunate is fisherman solomon vandy djimon hounsou, from shenge. An analysis of the movie, blood diamond essay 1197 words. Sierra leones diamonds still a source of contention blood diamonds, as they were once known, helped fuel atrocities in both sierra leone and neighboring liberia. First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. 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 diamond before it was whittled down to british aesthetic, set in an armband worn by maharaja ranjit singh.
Cinematography importance in blood diamond cinematography examples blood diamond played by leonardo dicaprio born in rhodesia, a whitecontrolled state in zimbabwe parents were murdered. The issue of blood diamonds essay sample new york essays. The many diamonds found quickly gained the name of blood and conflict diamonds as the war progressed. Please subscribe to my channel if you like this documentary. Many countries that are notoriously affected with the issue of the blood diamond trade are sierra leone, liberia, the democratic republic of congo formerly known as zaire, zimbabwe, the republic of congo, and cote d. This is mostly for their alluring and captivating rigidity, beauty, and sparkle. 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. As diamonds played a major role in the jewelry industry for years, and has been used as. 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. In the movie blood diamond, the characters choices and actions are limited by outside events such as the diamond trade, the fight for independence, the corruption of the government in sierra leone, the decisions of the united nations, and the complexities of international politics. Antwerp belgium, liberian diamond exports between 1990 and 1999 were. Avery french professor melissa yedinak english 101 9 september 2015 essay 2.
Released december 8th, 2006, blood diamond stars leonardo dicaprio, jennifer connelly, djimon hounsou, david harewood the r movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 18 min, and received a score of 64. Suitably diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man, it is made up of milkywhite pure carbon crystals. These awful facts about blood diamonds will make your. Journalist greg campbell leads the reader down the international diamond trail of brutality, horror, and profit providing an ontheground and inthemines story of global consequencefirst discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. Illegal miners in south africa risk death for a share of the diamonds that shaped the continents biggest economy.
But theyre not the only precious gems with blood on their hands. 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. Blood diamonds really shone light onto the issue bringing more awareness to it, just like the move did aswell. Coming from a background in classical and modernistic jazz from his adolescence in kansas city and then after moving to vancouver to study a degree in video game design, he became. The central african republic is a classic case of blood diamonds, exactly what the kimberley process was intended to address, says michael gibb of global witness, a u. When her brother is accused of stealing a diamond from the sadistic general mutambe, jillian is forced to go on the run. Such high figures were surprising for a country that is relatively poor in diamond resources. The movie blood diamond was released in 2006 and featured leonardo di caprio as an arms smuggler whose main goal is to obtain a seemingly priceless diamond from a villager during the civil war in sierra leone. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to legitimate. 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. Conflict diamond, hot diamond, blood diamond, war diamond, converted diamond. I would like to begin my essay with a movie called blood diamond, and it came from a true story. Child soldiers the film blood diamond, portrays the life of a child soldier accurately as all someone needs to do is discover ishmeal beahs autobiographical composition the making and unmaking of a child soldier to identify that the events.
Blood diamonds scheme of work developed as part of my pgce. Three specific conflictsin angola, the democratic republic of the congo, and sierra leonedirected world attention to the destructive role of diamonds, though the. The story is interesting fiction, but it is based upon facts. During this time, blood diamonds comprised about 4 percent of the world diamond market, according to the world diamond councils website.
Some words onscreen narrate that in 2003 there was a draft called the kimberley process to combat the flow of blood diamonds. Jon land is the author of four previous novels in this series, pillars of solomon, walls of jericho, a walk in the darkness and keepers of the gate. Diamonds that are illegally mined in a region in africa, which is facing a situation of prolonged rebellion, military unrest or guerrilla activities are called blood diamonds as the primary purpose of their mining is to fund such activities in order to procure arms and ammunition. The blood diamond industry, best known in sierra leone, has been through numerous implications and struggles, which has made for an extremely intriguing and extensive analysis. The issue of blood diamonds must be taken seriously before more innocent blood is shed and lives are lost, as in the past. It doesnt open for another couple of months, but the diamond industry has already launched a. That diamond changed and ended many lives, and the story of that stone carries a strong social message. Rebel factions such as the revolutionary united front frequently terrorize the open countryside, intimidating mende locals and enslaving many to harvest diamonds, which fund their increasingly successful war effort.
A lot of progress has been made, but there is still more we can do to make sure that blood diamonds are completely gone. Diamonds have always been a sign of wealth and prosperity. Blood diamonds, also referred to as conflict diamonds, come from war zones in africa, sold illegally in order to fund insurgent war efforts against legitimate. While it does good work by bringing the lingering problem of african conflict diamonds back into the news, the movie itself is ungainly and retro, using white characters to illuminate the problem while also simplifying it. Analysis of the movie child soldiers 934 words 4 pages. Awardwinning journalist greg campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds. Solomon is reunited with his family and he speaks before a council about his experience in the blood diamond mines. The atrocities of blood diamonds uk essays ukessays. Since you spent time figuring and analyzing statistics of blood diamonds, you now see the impact that blood diamonds and diamonds in general have on other countries. The sorry role the diamond has played in the history of sierra leone, stunningly told by journalist campbell the road to kosovo, 1999. Other than that, having taught film appreciation at the college level for 15 years, this film was such a piece of art, i can hardly believe it every time i. Blood diamonds are in relation to diamond trading, conflict diamond also called a converted diamond, blood diamond, hot diamond, or war diamond refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading armys war efforts, or a warlords activity, usually in africa1 where around twothirds of the worlds diamonds are extracted. 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. It is 1999 and the troubled west african nation of sierra leone is ravaged by major political unrest.
Awardwinning journalist greg campbell traces the deadly trail of these. The new blood diamonds diamonds from african countries have been funding guerrilla wars for decades. Blood diamond is a hollywood thriller, starring leonardo dicaprio, about the illegal gem trade. Blood diamond maddy bowen danny archer solomon vandy introduction. Blood diamond 2006 stream and watch online moviefone. A nearly flawless film with the exception of the casting of the female journalist, imho. Blood diamond history banning the trade in african blood conflict diamonds the trade in the conflict or blood diamonds of africa, including those from sierra leone, was curbed by the world diamond council on january 17 18 2001 when the the kimberley process certification scheme kpcs was. 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. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in african war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. Blood diamond twodisc special edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. James is a dedicated doctor working with doctors without borders. Human rights group says blood diamond money being siphoned to finance the president and his secret police published.
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