I would like an essay that speaks about the issues pertaining to the continent of Africa. There’s a movie called “blood diamond” that raises a lot of issues that are still on going to this day in Africa. I would like the essay to base around that movie and the issues that the movie is shedding light on.
Africa is one of the largest producers of diamond and has produced almost half of the total diamonds in the world. Around $158 billion worth of gems has been mined from this continent. The largest diamond mines are Orapa and Jwaneng that are located in Botswana. A major part of the diamond mines under the control of a company called De Beers. Although one perceives diamonds as a symbol of joy, commitment, and love. But history has proven these gems are more a curse rather than a blessing. The diamond-rich countries produce not only diamonds, but also violence, civil wars, environmental degradation, worker exploitation, and unbearable human suffering (Hilson & Clifford, 2010).
Only recently, the public has started to realize that a huge number of diamonds is mined in inhumane and violent ways. Consumers now want their diamonds to be untouched by violence, human rights abuses, and bloodshed. However, the response of the diamond industry is quite inadequate regarding the issue. Huge numbers of diamonds with brutal histories are being mined and mixed with other gems on a regular basis. Injustice and violence remain quite a regular factor of diamond mining (Kennard, 2008).
Diamonds have been fueling the civil wars for decades. Seven countries of Africa have experienced the brutality of civil wars due to diamonds. These countries include Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Liberia, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Diamonds have been contributing to such civil wars forever by financing the militaries. Many groups have been fighting with each other to get control of the diamond-rich territories. It concludes to loss of life, bloodshed, human rights abuses of everybody from children to soldiers. The diamonds that cause civil wars are also known as blood diamonds. Even though many of the civil wars fueled by diamonds have come to an end now, there always exist the risks of it (Brown, 2005).
The Central African Republic endured a civil war in the year 2013 in which the fight was over the dispute about getting control of diamond resources. Huge numbers of people lost their lives, and millions became homeless. Almost 3.7 million deaths have been reported in the past civil wars that were fueled by diamonds. Diamonds have contributed to the making of a lot of smuggles as they are easy to carry and untraceable. It has become a symbol of greed and brutality. Rebel armies have made various civilians mine diamonds for days and nights in places and circumstances where their lives were at stake, and they were paid with a bowl of rice. In the civil war in Sierra Leone, rebel armies brutally cut downed the hands, feet, arms, ears, and lips of the people and diamonds were the source that was financing them (CBS News, 2001) .
In 2006, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) took the initiative to stop the spread of conflict diamonds that were being used to finance civil wars. Civil society circles even still appreciate the ban on the export of conflict stones; It as it was one genuine effort to put an end to the smuggling of blood diamonds (Hilson & Clifford, 2010).
Work exploitation and child labor are two major issues. Many diamond miners of various African countries pay less than a dollar per day. They die in the mines, digging for diamonds, on a daily basis. Child labor has also spread widely. They are employed, on a regular basis, in the diamond industries of Africa and are paid almost nothing. These things have given rise to poverty, illiteracy, hunger and infant mortality on the continent (VOA News, 2009).
Diamond miners have to work in life-threatening conditions. Mining occurs on a small scale; it is most of the time conducted without expertise or proper training. It led to various injuries and even worse, death. The miners are not provided with any kind of life security. Their work is really dangerous, but they are not paid what it is worth for. Their wages are extremely low, and there are a lot of health risks too.
Diamond mining has been responsible for environmental degradation in the continent of Africa. Inadequate planning and irresponsible mining have led to soil erosion and deforestation in countries like Angola. The rivers have been damaged and polluted as a result of diamond mining. Marine life as well as wildlife has been affected badly. If it continues to happen like this, the whole ecosystem could collapse. Diamond miners leave behind various mining pits. When these pits fill with rainwater, they get infested with a lot of mosquitoes causing various diseases like malaria (Yelpaala & Ali, 2005).
In the end, it can be concluded with these words that the environmental effects of diamond mining are controllable as it does not make use of any toxic or hazardous chemicals. Proper planning and effective regulation can play a significant part in minimizing these effects. Botswana and Namibia have been implementing all the environmental safeguards to protect the surroundings and have been very successful.
Also, the lands that have been altered due to diamond mining; it is possible to rehabilitate them. Land restoration takes place in Botswana when mining operations are finished. Even the land of Sierra Leone that was thought to be beyond repair has now been improved to certain extents. The mining pits can be filled, the eroded topsoil can be replaced, and the native species can be brought back.
References
Brown, M. T. (2005). Landscape restoration following phosphate mining: 30 years of co-evolution of science, industry and regulation. Ecological Engineering, 24 (4), 309-329.
CBS News. (2001, June 14). Diamonds: A War’s Best Friend. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/diamonds-a-wars-best-friend/
Hilson, G., & Clifford, M. J. (2010). A ‘Kimberley protest’: Diamond mining, export sanctions, and poverty in Akwatia, Ghana. African Affairs, 109 (436), 431-450.
Kennard, M. (2008, February 19). Guilt-free diamonds: beyond blood to human rights. Retrieved from http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2008-02-19/kennard-guiltfreediamonds.html
VOA News. (2009, November 2). Harvard Study Criticizes Child Labor in Diamond Mines. Retrieved from https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2009-05-01-voa24-68786967/411115.html
Yelpaala, K., & Ali, S. H. (2005). Multiple scales of diamond mining in Akwatia, Ghana: addressing environmental and human development impac. Resources Policy, 30 (3), 145-155.
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