Blood Diamonds

By: Marvin Villalobos

Would you like to live in a world where you are stripped away from your family be put in a diamond mine ruled by rebels and all day all you do is work in muddy water looking for diamonds?

This is based in the life Congo, Africa.

There has been a movie made based on this issue named “Blood Diamonds” which takes place in Sierra Leone there are these rebels that go around Africa and would strip men, young boys and take the boys away. They would chop off your hands if you would disobey them.

Blood diamonds started because of a pink diamond found by a slave and ever since they would search for diamonds.

“Blood Diamonds” of Sierra Leone have funded rebel leaders Foday Sankohs’ Revolutionary United Front since 1991, which still rages against the elected government Tejan Kabbah and also against civilians in the north- east of the country.

The top diamond jewelry consumer in the marketing is the U.S. where in 1998, 33 million peaces diamond jewelry were sold at a price of $655 per each item bought, London is another large marketing place. Many of the diamonds are move to be cut and polish at 30 countries world wide but mostly in India with 50 percent of the world trade, Thailand, Mauritius and the U.S. also have diamond cutting company.

Solange, 18, Fled Sake for Goma and this is his life story. There was a war going on with the government and NKundas army. All you could hear were gunfire- the bullets, bombs, and rockets. This war was going on because the government was protecting the civilians being taking away by the NKundas men. The provisional minister held a meeting to tell all civilians to leave there homes.

Solange left with his family his father, mother, five brothers, and six sisters. They walk for 30 KM (19 miles) to go to Goma and they were hosted by some of there relatives. They have some clean water but it is not sufficient. They do not plan to go back to Sake because it is a big risk but, he does not want to stay his rest of his life in Goma, because it is difficult to find enough food, to find water, or anything you need. This is a serious case so when we buy diamonds we should consider about the history that the diamond has.