black…MYstory

I’ll let you in on a secret. I have purchased one diamond in my entire life. It was a small stone inside a pendant I bought for my wife for having my son. However, I still bear some guilt for it because I am not sure if that diamond may have come at the cost of life or limb to some brother or sister on the African continent.

I have long been against purchasing diamonds. My wife and I got engaged in the mid-90’s and we were both clear that no diamond engagement rings (yes, she bought me one, too) would be purchased.

So, needless to say, with that one exception, I have erred on the side of believing that avoiding diamonds may help save lives.

Well, this weekend, a new movie is coming out, entitled “Blood Diamond”. The movie deals with the role of conflict diamonds in the civil war in Sierra Leone in the mid-90’s. Of course, the diamond industry is in an uproar over the film so, they try to put a softer face on the issue to stem the tide of criticism.

Enter Russell Simmons.

Simmons went on a 9-day trip to visit diamond mines in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique. Simmons says that he is worried that too much negative attention is being placed on conflict diamonds, inferring that his sponsor for the trip, De Beers, has no dealings in these diamonds and that the diamond industry is doing good by countries like South Africa and Botswana.

The human rights group Global Witness says Simmons, out of ignorance, is being played by the diamond companies and these companies have something to hide in terms of violations of human rights.

Who knows, I could be wrong but, I would lean more towards the human rights folks. Because it’s Africa, a lot of foreign interests are able to exploit situations and people for material gain. I sincerely doubt that companies like De Beers are putting African life ahead of profits.

Popularity: 16% [?]