BLOOD DIAMOND

(2006, 143 minutes)

The video you are about to watch is realistically violent and contains profanity. According to a review by
J. Berry, “It is an excellent movie. Although it was not filmed in Sierra Leone, it captures the reality of the
country to a remarkable degree. There is a great deal of violence in this movie, but that violence is
organic, realistic, fitting to what happened there. They even manage to convey the fact that the people are
as astonished by this violence as we are; Sierra Leone used to be one of the safest countries in the world.
The movie tells the facts about conflict diamonds quickly and accurately. DiCaprio's performance is
impressive, certainly the best by him I've ever seen: he is totally believable as a white African.” (source:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450259/usercomments) In Alberta, the film was rated 14A. If you would like
to opt out of seeing “Blood Diamond”, please do not hesitate to privately let your teacher know.
You will be sent to the library to complete an alternate assignment once we start Activity Three.

Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer
Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy
Jennifer Connelly as Maddy Bowen
Kagiso Kuypers as Dia Vandy
Arnold Vosloo as Colonel Coetzee
Antony Coleman as Cordell Brown
Benu Mabhena as Jassie Vandy
Anointing Lukola as N’Yanda Vandy
David Harewood as Captain Poison
Basil Wallace as Benjamin Kapanay

Part One: What are conflict diamonds? (____/5)

 Where do diamonds come from?

 What do diamonds symbolize in our society?

 Brainstorm what “conflict diamonds”.

www.pbs.org/newshour/extra
MOVIE SPARKS DEBATE OVER DIAMOND TRADE

The movie "Blood Diamond,”… is putting the media spotlight on conflict diamonds and [had]
the diamond industry worried about negative fallout.

Conflict diamonds, sometimes referred to as blood diamonds, are gems that are illegally sold to
fund civil wars and rebel conflicts. Billions of dollars worth of profit has been used to buy arms
for civil wars in African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
Sierra Leone.

"Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, is set in Sierra Leone in
the 1990s, when rebels took control and profited from the country's vast diamond mines. The
movie includes graphic images of violence, child soldiers and victims of rebel mutilation.
The war in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, but human rights groups say the problem of diamond
funded conflicts persists in other African countries, such as Liberia and Cote D'Ivoire. Two such
groups, Amnesty International and Global Witness, have partnered with the movie to raise
awareness on the issue. "This is a Trojan horse message, because people will walk out of this
movie and not view diamonds the same way," said Amnesty International's director of Artists for
Amnesty, Bonnie Abaunza.

Defending diamonds
Concern in the diamond industry over a potential backlash from the film has been building for
more than a year. "Can you imagine its impact on the Christmas-buying audience in America if
the message is not carried through that this is something of the past?" Jonathan Oppenheimer, a
director of the world's largest supplier of rough diamonds, De Beers, said at a trade convention in
South Africa last fall. The United States purchases about 65 percent of the world's diamonds, and
60 percent of the world's diamonds originate in Africa. Earlier this year, the industry group the
World Diamond Council (WDC) launched a multi-million dollar public relations campaign in
anticipation of the movie's release. The group has taken out full page ads in major newspapers
and launched a Web site describing strides taken to reduce the impact of conflict diamonds, as
well as the economic benefits of the diamond trade to African countries. The WDC also appealed
to the movie's director, Edward Zwick, asking him to add information to the movie on changes in
the industry, in particular a regulation system called the Kimberley Process. Zwick refused and
has said he welcomes the opportunity for the movie to raise questions among consumers.
"What I wanted to create in their minds is consciousness," Zwick told National Public Radio. "A
purchase of a diamond just has to be an informed purchase."

A problem of the past?

The Kimberley Process, put in place in 2003, requires diamond shipments to be accompanied by
certificates stating they were not mined in countries at war. Before the Kimberley Process, the
diamond industry estimated conflict diamonds made up 4 percent of the global trade, while
nonprofit groups, such as Partnership Canada Africa, estimated the total at around 15 percent.
The industry claims the Kimberley Process has curtailed the trade to less than 1 percent.
While everyone involved agrees the Kimberley Process is a step in the right direction, problems
arise in measuring its success, in part, because of diamond smuggling. A panel of United
Nations experts reported in October that a significant number of diamonds are smuggled each
year from the war-torn country of Cote D'Ivoire into Ghana, where they are certified as
legitimate.

Tom Zoellner, a journalist and the author of a book on the diamond industry, says the Kimberley
Process has not really affected how diamonds are smuggled across national boarders. "It is a
really superficial process," he said. The Central African Republic mines can produce only about
half the quantity of diamonds that are listed as originating from the country, Zoellner said in his
book. Imbalances like this indicate holes in the process.

WDC spokesman Carson Glover agrees smuggling is still a problem. "Diamonds are the most
portable commodity in the world, and smuggling is one of the oldest professions in the world,"
Glover said. "[The Kimberley Process] was not intended to stop smuggling."

Consumer response
Jewelry stores are bracing for the film's opening to see whether the power of its political
statement is matched by commercial success.

Other films released this year that made political statements, including "Thank You for
Smoking," which skewered the cigarette industry, and "Fast Food Nation," which painted an
unflattering picture of the fast-food industry, did not perform as well as expected.
-- By Talea Miller, NewsHour Extra
© 2006 MacNeil/Lehrer Productions

Story: Movie Sparks Debate over Diamond Trade, 12/04/06

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec06/diamonds_12-04.html

Reading Comprehension Questions: (_____/10)

1. What is a conflict diamond?

2. What is the movie Blood Diamond about?

3. According to human rights groups, are conflict diamonds still a problem today?
4. What actions did the World Diamond Council take before the movie's release?

5. Which country purchases the greatest amount of diamonds and which continent
produces the most?

6. What is the Kimberley Process?

7. Why is it hard to determine how successful the Kimberley Process is?

8. What does the director of Blood Diamond hope the movie will do?
Before "Blood Diamond" was even released, the World Diamond Council spent millions of
dollars on a public relations campaign arguing that conflict diamonds are a problem of the
past. The success, and thereby the price, of diamonds depend largely on their reputation,
and the World Diamond Council, De Beers, and other industry leaders are worried that
consumers who see the film may boycott the diamond industry.

9. Students: Brainstorm how diamonds have traditionally been portrayed in American

culture in magazines, advertisements, movies, songs, music videos and popular ideology.
(As an extension, view and analyze the "Diamonds in Advertising" gallery at:
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/diamonds)

10. Consider how advertising affects consumer purchasing decisions. Do you think the
movie will change the way consumers think about diamonds? Will it make some people stop
buying diamond jewelry? Why or why not?
Part Two: Diamonds and Conflict
"Blood Diamond" focuses on the link between diamonds and conflict. Funds generated by the
illegal sale of diamonds mined in conflict areas have been used to buy small arms and finance
military campaigns, leading to increased human rights abuses. According to congressional
reports, millions of people have been killed in diamond fueled conflict over the past decade, and
6,500,000 people in Angola, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and
now Cote D'Ivoire have become refugees. 300,000 children have been forced to become child
soldiers and commit horrible atrocities on behalf of rebel groups seeking to maintain control of
diamond mines.

To help gain a visual understanding of diamond fueled conflicts in Africa, point out the countries
on a map, such as the interactive map found at The Africa Guide:
http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm or the map below.

 Where is Angola, Sierre Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Cote
D’Ivoire? Circle them on the map…

 What are “civil wars”?

 Why has the continent of Africa been embroiled in the issue of “blood diamonds” while
other nations (India, Canada, Russia and Australia) have experienced less conflict?
Refer to the reading from “Amnesty International” located at
http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/diamonds.html to answer the following
questions. (____/15)

1. Describe the role of a child

within the RUF (Sierra
Leone’s Revolutionary United
Front).

2. Describe the torture

techniques and acts of
brutality used by the RUF.

a. RUF and Diamond Companies

3. The RUF has different
types of relationships with
outside organizations. What
is the link/relationship for b. RUF and foreign banks
each of the following pairs?

c. RUF and terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda

d. RUF and the nation of Liberia

4. a. List a minimum of five

different actions taken by the
world to stop harvesting the
sale of Blood Diamonds.
b. Explain the “Kimberly
Process”.

c. Which action has proven to

be the least effective? Pick
one and explain why it hasn’t
worked.
5. What role could you play in
reducing the horrors of Blood
Diamonds in a globalizing
world?