Blood Diamond

Haven't actually posted something here for a few days but been writing quite much these days since my 'movie night' last week. Recently, since Christmas I guess, I seem to pick up my movie habit and UA Times Square once again became my "Weekend Spot". I've been spending a few weekends there already. But with the school started, I prefer the First Night Show (not the debut or first show but First Night Show, i.e. Thursday Nite) as I have class during weekends.

Last Thursday I watched Blood Diamond. Before everything, I just wanna watch a "DiCarpio picture" as I haven't watched him acting for a long time; the 'previous' one is probably 'Catch Me if You Can' (in cinema) or 'Aviator' (VCD). Then I noticed the Movie's title in Chinese and didn't know the term. After a while I figured out the English Title and was shocked. Really, I expected something from it, at least more than a movie.

Frankly, I may be biased as I know the story (and should be a bit more understandings on it than the general public). I'm not an "attached" volunteer of any of the humanitarian organizations but I was once a Rotaract Club member and a long term volunteer in school, though some times ago. And I kept involving in some World Vision events and activities and all of them were about Africa.

It is a very sad story in Africa. Originally I try to write something technically on the movie based on what I learnt from the class 'Film Art' and of 'coz the 'Translation of Subtitles' (though I did not read most of the Subtitles, I noticed a few points to share). However, I just read a newspaper article yesterday on the reaction of De Beer, the BIG diamond entreprise and I really like to write something on that.

Not sure if you had already watched it or if you have not planned to watch it. If you're the latter one, I would definitely suggest you going, unless you're a super sentimental person or you're easily emotionally driven by miserables. If you plan to watch it, then maybe just skip this entry and back when you finished it.

It's a story about blood diamonds, smugglers, RUF and the Civil War in Sierra Leone in 1999-2000 transition. Sienna Leona is adjacent to Liberia, which is famous for having diamonds. Liberia is selling legal diamonds to the World, just like South Africa. Sienna Leona is rich in diamonds too. However, for some reasons (which did not explicitly explain in the movie), smuggling of diamonds is too frequent and the income from selling diamonds help the RUF a lot in buying armies. Civil War kept going on and slaughters by RUF everywhere. When RUF found a strong man, they sent him to 'find diamond'; when they found a young boy, they 'picked' him as a baby killer. Thousands and thousands of people's lives are being controlled by these diamonds, technically termed as blood diamond or conflict diamond by its "nature". Millions of refugees fled to Ginea and were in fact 'prisoned' in the refugee camp.

These are the facts told in the movie and it serves as a background information. Remember, all the above are TRUE.

The story started with a fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) being forced to find diamonds by RUF. He found a rare diamond: pink, pure and large, which was highlighted in the movie. He tried to hide it for himself knowing that he would be killed if discovered by RUF. Unfortunately, his act was discovered but on the other hand, luckily the government army arrived and saved him. In the prison, rumour about him hiding a rare diamond entered into the ears of a smuggler (Leonardo DiCarpio), white African, ex-soldier from South Africa but originally from Zimberbwe.

Scenes followed are fisherman finding family, smuggler finding fisherman, smuggler meeting an Amercian journalist, etc.

I guess the scenes causing the biggest impact would be the slaughters, especially with the director's deliberate cut. On one shot, RUF killed hundreds of ordinary people, most of them native women and girls in the remote villages; on the other shot, boys and girls, women and men, foreigners and natives clubbing in the Capital!!! Slaughter followed slaughter, RUF grabbed boys as baby killers. The movie also showed how they trained the boys, how they gave 'medicine' to the boys and how they controlled the boys!!

Perhaps these are magnified in the movie for dramatic effect but that's real life in Africa. People in the peace era can never understand. I cannot understand how they exactly feel either but I once experienced similar thing. I remember once someone told me they were planning to visit Rwanda for the reconstruction of the Country after War. It was like a service or an observatory trip for volunteers to join. But before they had finished planning, the Country was in discrete Wars again!!!!

Baby killer is the GREATEST problem in Africa. The 'medicine' they fed the boys are drugs; they used the drugs to control them!! Unicef (and many other humanitarian organizations) has been doing a lot of works to help these boys but yet a long way to go.
Although there were many factors other than the diamonds driving Africa to today's situation, with NO DOUBT that diamond is one of the most important factor. If diamond cannot be sold at high prices, they would not fight for it. Without money, RUF cannot buy armies and might have fewer slaughters.

I'm not sure if you notice it or not, Al Qaeda was suspected to be heavily involved in the trade of blood diamond in Sierra Leone just before 9-11.
Tim was watching the movie with me and he said he hated diamonds now. He must be the audience that the director loves most!
I'm not saying that diamonds are no good nor did I say that diamonds start the chaos in Africa. The fact here is that those blood diamonds are illegal and should not be bought by any dealers!!!!
Without demand, there would never be a price! I just finished middle school economic class with no further and I understand this well already!
No dealers, no smugglers. All these are relative! The UN had already adopted methods to prevent blood diamonds from entering the World in 2003 but still it is a problem in the PRESENT!!!!!!

The De Beer Company, as far as I remember, had staff being discovered to be involved in the trade of blood diamonds. In the news I mentioned earlier, the Company accussed that the movie was 'out-dated'. IT IS NOT TRUE! History is history. History affect our lives and ways of living TODAY!

We understand that, from the Company's point of view, they have to do something when their turnover dropped greatly after the movie. Definitely finding Beyonce to promote buying diamonds is not a good idea to me. The BEST way to comfort customers or to advertise would be telling people the truth! There are already ways to distinguish blood diamonds! Why don't they use that to educate people?

In the UN Webpage, they also teach people "what to do?". They have guidelines for people to follow to find out if the dealer is selling legal diamond according to the Kimberly Process and with any doubts, we should seek for helps. I think this is a better promotion, at least to me.