Conflict Diamonds in West Africa
A. Introduction
B. Keywords
C. UNC Library Resources
D. Electronic Databases
E. Web Sites
F. Mini-Essay
A. Introduction
Honestly, conflict or "blood"
diamonds have not constantly plagued my mind for the past
several years. The reason I knew there was a human rights
scandal within the diamond industry is because I caught the
second half of the PrimeTime report on this issue
a couple of years ago. I remember being horrified to learn
that West Africans were getting their hands chopped off and
were getting raped because they were not harvesting enough
diamonds each day. Since I did not see all of the report,
I was unsure of who would torture people over diamonds, why
people would want this job and why this cruelty has not been
stopped since people had become aware of its occurrence. My
confustion over these issues became my desire to learn more
about what is referred to as the conflict or "blood"
diamond crisis.
My intended audience is Daily
Tar Heel readers. With my research, I am trying to understand
the basics about conflict diamonds. What are conflict diamonds?
Who controls the diamond fields? What are African governments
and the United Nations trying to do to stop this situation?
Where do diamond companies, such as DeBeers, stand on the
conflict diamond issue? I assume many college students are
unaware of the conflict diamond situation, or are at least
not certain of the details about this topic. Also, people
sometimes purchase or receive diamond engagement rings during
college or soon thereafter, so they may be more interested,
than other age groups to find out that their diamond could
have cost someone their hand or helped support rebellious
armies.
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B. Keywords
Library Search:
Blood diamonds AND Africa
Diamond industry AND West Africa
Revolutionary United Front AND diamond?
Africa NOT "African-American?"
Africa AND resources
Lexis-Nexis Academic:
"conflict diamonds" and "Sierra Leone"
and "Revolutionary United Front"
"blood diamonds" and West! Africa
blood diamonds and Global Witness
DeBeers and "conflict diamonds"
UNITA and "blood diamonds" or "conflict diamonds"
Web Sites:
Yahoo -
Global Witness and "blood diamonds"
"Revolutionary United Front" and "Sierra Leone"
Alta Vista -
blood diamond? and "West Africa"
Sierra Leone? and "conflict diamonds"
"Amnesty International" or "World Diamond Council"
and "conflict diamonds"
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C. UNC Library Resources
Print Sources:
Campbell, Greg. Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path
of the World's Most Precious Stones. Boulder, Colorado:
Westview Press, 2002.
Call #: HD9677.S52 C36 2002
Carstens, Peter. In the Company
of Diamonds: DeBeers, Kleinzee, and the Control of a Town.
Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2001.
Call #: HD9677.S64 D43 2001
Non-Paper Source:
Mazrui, Ali A. Tools of Exploration. Produced by
Timothy Copestake. 60 min. WETA-TV and BBC-TV, 1986. Videocassette.
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D. Electronic Databases
Engelbrecht, Leon. “RSA:
Minister Says Companies Involved in ‘Blood Diamonds’
to Lose Permits.” Johannesburg SAPA (Internet Version
– WWW), 30 November 2001. Database on-line. Available
from Biblioline <http://biblioline.nisc.com>. [27 January
2003].
Silverstein, Ken. “Diamonds
on Death: A Tough Bill is Falling Victim to the Power of Warlords
and Corporations.” The Nation, 23 April 2001, 272. Database
on-line. Available from Infotrac Web <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.
[23 January 2003].
Unsen, Anietie. “No to
Blood Diamonds.” African News Service, 7 September 2000,
1008250. Database on-line. Available from Infotrac Web <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.
[27 January 2003].
“Conflict and Security:
Conflict Diamonds are Forever.” African News Service,
8 November 2002. Database on-line. Available from Lexis-Nexis
Academic <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>. [28 January 2003].
“Sierra Leone Government,
UN Blame Each Other Over Failed Diamond Mining Ban.”
Paris AFP (World Service), 30 July 2001. Database on-line.
Available from Biblioline <http://biblioline.nisc.com>.
[27 January 2003].
“Sierra Leone; NGO Says
Most Diamonds Traded in Southeastern Region Tainted.”
Paris AFP (World Service), 09 April 2001. Database on-line.
Available from Biblioline <http://biblioline.nisc.com>.
[27 January 2003].
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E. Web Sites
Title of Web page: Global
Witness
Web address: http://www.globalwitness.org/indexhome.html
Brief description: This site has extensive information
on the conflict diamond situation and the efforts of the United
Nations, the US Congress and the Global Witness organization
to end the situation. The site is very well organized and
easy to navigate with clear links to different topics within
the Web site. In my opinion, the most helpful page on this
site is the “Campaign Chronology” page, which
gives a thorough chronology of the campaign to end the conflict
diamond crisis.
Source of Web Site: Global Witness Limited
Title of Web page: The
Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds
Web address: http://www.phrusa.org/campaigns/sierra_leone/conflict_diamonds.html
Brief description: This site’s purpose seems
to be to increase awareness of the conflict diamond situation
and to encourage people to help eliminate conflict diamonds.
Even though the Web site is biased in its motives, the information
they provide on the conflict diamond situation and the “Clean
Diamonds Act”, based on my research, is accurate and
has not been altered to influence visitors. The site also
has links to recent news articles related to
conflict diamonds.
Source of Web Site: Physicians for Human Rights
Title of Web page: Conflict Diamonds:
Sanctions and War
Web address: http://www.un.org/peace/africa/diamond.html
Brief description: This page defines “conflict
diamonds” and explains how they help fuel wars and who
needs to step in to help end the sale of conflict diamonds.
This page also explains what the United Nations is doing to
eliminate conflict diamonds, especially in Angola, Sierra
Leone and Liberia. The page is arranged in a question and
answer format, which makes it very easy to understand.
Source of Web Site: United Nations Department of
Public Information
Title of Web page: Kimberley
Process
Web address: http://www.kimberleyprocess.com
Brief description: This official Kimberley Process
Web site describes the process through which 30 governments,
the diamond industry and others are attempting to stop the
exportation and sale of conflict diamonds. The site also gives
background information on how the Kimberley Process began.
There is also a page that gives updates on how the Kimberley
Process is being put into action and any additions or changes
that are made to it.
Source of Web Site: Kimberley Process
Title of Web page: World
Diamond Council
Web address: http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.com
Brief description: The World Diamond Council is an
organization with representation from the diamond industry
and diamond exporting countries that works to eliminate conflict
diamonds. The easily navigable Web site has detailed information
on the regulations enacted and enforced by the World Diamond
Council. The site also contains detailed information on other
legislation and regulation to eliminate conflict diamonds,
while protecting the reputation of diamonds that are not harvested
under inhumane conditions.
Source of Web Site: World Diamond
Council
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F. Mini-Essay
TITLE: De Beers Uses Internet
to Distance Itself From Conflict Diamond Crisis
(TOPIC AREA: Net Business and Economy)
The conflict diamond crisis is a major topic currently surrounding
the diamond industry. Conflict diamonds are diamonds that
are being used to fund rebellious armies that are attempting
to overthrow the standing government within their nation through
wars. (1) These armies are using measures such as chopping
off natives’ hands, rape or murder to mine or steal
diamonds. When this crisis was exposed to the public by a
PrimeTime report on October 12, 2000, human rights groups
turned to the Internet with campaigns to end conflict diamonds.
(2) These campaigns were immediately followed by diamond companies’
Internet-based public relations campaigns to distance themselves
from the crisis in order to maintain sales.
One diamond company that has
utilized the Internet for this purpose is De Beers; this company
has actively campaigned on the Internet to show how it is
not involved with the purchasing of conflict diamonds and
its desire to help end the crisis. (3) De Beers’ Web
site expresses its stance on conflict diamonds and points
out that De Beers is a member of the World Diamond Council,
a group comprised of 30 governments and the diamond industry
that wants to stop the crisis, and that De Beers supports
the Kimberley Process as a means of ending the crisis. (4)
According to the De Beers Web site: “De Beers has adopted
a proactive and uncompromising stance on conflict diamonds.
The Group has issued a guarantee that none of the diamonds
it sells through the DTC- its sales and marketing arm –
have been sourced from areas held by
rebels opposing legitimate governments.” (4)
Even with its Internet-based
public relations campaign, De Beers’ diamond sales dropped
slightly from 2000 to 2001. (5) No one knows, however, just
how much sales could have dropped had De Beers’ executives
decided not to distance the company from the conflict diamond
controversy and publicly work to help eliminate the sale of
conflict diamonds.
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