Blood Diamonds author Greg Campbell spent several years researching the deadly side of the diamond-fueled civil war in Sierra Leone, a war that saw the brutal Revolutionary United Front (RUF) amputating limbs, raping women, gutting pregnant women, and forcing prisoners to work as a slave labor force in the diamond fields and mines. Diamonds were exchanged for weapons to fight the civil wars; a conflict diamond can be purchased for 10% less than a diamond coming from a licensed exporter.
Blood Diamonds exposes the brutal and bloody behind the scenes negotiations, wars, and violence incurred from, and for, the world’s most precious stone. Even though conflict or blood diamonds from Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola are believed to represent between only 4-5% of the world’s diamond market, author Greg Campbell explains, “…it’s a testament to the power of their allure and value that such a small percentage is sufficient to cause an estimated 3.7 million deaths and displace 6 million people in these African war zones”.
Part of their deadly appeal is that diamonds remain the most portable form of wealth in the world, and Campbell estimates a person can hide millions of dollars worth of diamonds on their body. The easiest way to hide and transport diamonds is to swallow them, excrete them and continue to re-swallow them until the diamond carrier is ready to sell the stones. They don’t set off metal detectors, they can be sold quickly and they are virtually untraceable, explains Campbell in Blood Diamonds.
Americans consume more than 80% of the world’s estimated $6 billion dollar diamond industry.
Like so many consumer goods (think coffee, tea, chocolate) in North America, the individuals purchasing the stones are oblivious to the origins of their coveted gems. Americans consume more than 80% of the world’s estimated $6 billion dollar diamond industry. Even without the bloody civil wars, diamonds represent yet another inequity between the country that produces the goods and the country that buys them. Campbell writes, “…if nothing else, the story of Sierra Leone's diamond war has proved unequivocally that the world ignores Africa and its problems at its peril”.
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones is a well-written, thoroughly researched exposé of the diamond history in Sierra Leone —a country nearly destroyed by diamonds.
Order this book on Amazon.com Blood Diamonds
Published by Westview Press
251 Pages
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