Curse of the diamond

All that glitters does not feed

Diamonds have been coveted since they were first discovered and have been connected to conflict, power, and curses ever since.

The Koh-i-noor is probably the most infamous diamond: Discovered in India in one of the earliest mines, it was once the largest diamond in the world. It boasts a long and bloody history and now lies – fittingly, considering its past – in the Tower of London, taken from India as a spoil of war and worn by Queen Victoria as a brooch.

According to legend, the curse of the Koh-i-noor is such that only women may wear it without succumbing to its destructive power. Unwilling to test the truth of the legend, the Koh-i-noor has only been worn by Victoria and subsequent queens of Britain.

The curse of diamonds is not restricted to the Koh-i-noor but seems to follow those who deal in these seemingly innocent stones.

Conflict diamonds were recently brought to the notice of the world thanks to Kanye West’s “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” and the movie Blood Diamond.

Despite the tarnished light they shed on diamonds, they continue to be the most common adornment on engagement rings, and are the first gems to pop into the mind when asked about precious stones.

After watching Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond, I swore that I would never buy a diamond. It was my little rebellion – my way of flicking off those unscrupulous bastards who work in that despicable, exploitative trade.

I thought that by doing so I would in some way be cutting down on the demand for diamonds and that somehow I just might be helping someone. How naïve.

Almost as if my disgust had reached some higher being, the diamond market was stricken; in the recent recession, the global demand for diamonds fell by 33 per cent.

De Beers, the name so long synonymous with diamonds, saw profits fall by a jaw dropping 99 per cent last year. Established in 1888, De Beers is responsible for the production of almost 90 per cent of diamonds worldwide, most mined in Africa, but also in Canada.

Though both Kanye’s song and Blood Diamond exposed an ugly side to the diamond trade, what they don’t mention are those who rely on diamonds to feed their families.

Thousands with legitimate jobs need the diamond industry to support their families, and with the slump in demand, mines have been closed and skilled workers have been laid off, leading to starvation in some places.

We got Kanye’s message loud and clear about blood diamonds from Sierra Leone, but there’s another side – children who are malnourished and starving because their parents can’t earn enough to put food in their bodies. Who’s singing about them?

It was only in 2002 that Sierra Leone emerged from a savage civil war which tore the country apart for 10 years. Though there has been significant economic growth since then, poverty and unemployment is widespread, and there are deeper wounds that are still healing.

Like in other parts of the world, where there is poverty, and insecurity – financial, physical or political – there are hyenas, lurking in the bush to prey on the weak.

The hyenas in Sierra Leone were the rebels who forced villagers to mine diamonds that were used to fund their armed resistance. This is where the term “blood diamond” comes from and why there is scandal and mystery surrounding certain diamonds.

Let’s race across Africa from troubled Sierra Leone and its blood diamonds to the Central African Republic, a nation with a similar history of civil strife, but where diamonds are causing a different kind of pain.

A failed state, constantly in turmoil, counts diamonds as one of its largest exports and relies heavily on the revenue they generate.

Despite the Republic’s lush, fertile land, after two generations of digging for diamonds, many simply do not know how to go back to farming, even to survive.

According to statistics, one in 10 children is suffering from malnutrition; the only easily grown crop available to the amateur farmer is cassava, and has few nutrients. Unless the diamond demand increases, this crisis will intensify.

The Central African Republic is not the only country to suffer. Other African countries, most notably Botswana and Burundi face similar problems, and it isn’t just African states bearing the strain of the cold diamond trade.

Diamond merchants, polishers, and cutters in Surat, India are facing similar problems as the diamond miners in Africa. Exporting almost $21-billion worth of diamonds a year, Surat’s diamond industry has shrunk approximately 40 per cent of its original size.

Merchants, optimistically hoping for a sudden shift in demand keep returning to their shops, while 250,000 of 700,000 skilled labourers have been let go.

With the economy picking up and Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I hope these merchants’ prayers are answered, and that something more substantial than cassava soon fills the bellies of the children of diamond miners in Africa.

Sure, blood diamonds will probably keep infiltrating the market, and you can’t always trace diamonds to their source, but often shops will tell you where they get their products. No harm in asking anyway.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, while buying your loved one that beloved rock, show you really care – feed a family.

Zara Urvashi Ramaniah

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