Contemporary History. “Blood Diamond” Movie by Zwick

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Overview
Historical Accuracy
Genocide
Conclusion
References

Introduction

In the year 1991 Sierra Leone in Africa was torn by Civil War. It was the usual thing, two powerful forces trying to destroy each other. Depending on one’s point of view the first one is composed of the rebel forces and the second group is composed of government forces. From another point of view the roles can be reversed and the rebel groups are called freedom fighters and the government labeled as ruling elites drunk with power – hence the need to outs them and create a new society. But in the case of Sierra Leone there are a few distinctions, caught in the middle of the conflict are civilians and they are being subjected to genocide – characterized by mass murders, mutilations, and other human rights violations. The conflict was sustained by hate, lust for power, and blood diamonds.

This study will take a closer look at the complicated Civil War that ravaged Sierra Leone. For the sake of focus, this study will use the 2006 movie “Blood Diamond” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connely, Djimon Hounsou, and directed by Edward Zwick. The move was set in 1999, during the latter stages of the war and yet it was able to capture the three-pronged distinctions discussed above which are genocide, lust for power, and blood diamonds. The first step is to provide an overview of the movie and then to find out if it is historically accurate. Finally, the term genocide will be examined and the proponent will attempt to understand its nature and why it is being committed on a regular basis around the world.

Overview

The movie was set in 1999, Sierra Leone. Years had passed since the nation was subjected to violence when rebel groups and government forces tried to force the other out of the picture. But aside from the regular tactics and battle strategy that requires each group to mobilize troops and weapons and then fight it out on the battlefields, there are other things that needed to be done owing to the fact that this is Sierra Leone, Africa, a Third World country, underdeveloped and difficult to rule. This means that for the Revolutionary United Front (“RUF”), to sustain its fight against the government there is the need to address the problem of arms and munitions, food, and even recruits. The RUF discovered an ingenious solution to these three major problems. The RUF went into villages, terrorize the inhabitants, kidnapping young boys, and some of the male adults and then bringing them back to their camp.

This would require a violent incursion into a hapless village filled with unarmed civilians. In the ensuing series of violent acts and adrenaline rush the rebel soldiers would cut off the limbs of men, women, children while some of them would go on and rape someone else wife and teenage daughter before they would move on with their booty, young boys and able-bodied men. Then the RUF forces separate the boys from the men. The former became part of the new recruits, brainwashing and training follow shortly while the adults are brought to diamond minefields where they are used as forced laborers to extract the precious resources. By doing so the RUF has created steady supply steam of new combatants while at the same time created a cash cow from which they can extract the necessary funds to buy weapons, food, etc.

The movie opens with the principal character Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) minding his own business as a fisherman. He was a happily married man with children but the apple of his eye was his son named Dia. Then all of a sudden rebel forces attacked his village. The soldiers were brutal and committed almost every human rights violation in the book and this includes assaulting the women and mutilating many of the villagers by cutting off one arm. Solomon was captured together with his son Dia. But they were separated after the attack.

Solomon ended up as a forced laborer in one of the many minefields maintained by the RUF. While his son Dia ended up in one of the RUF camps that also served as barracks. While Solomon toiled all day long near river basins looking for that precious commodity – rough diamonds – his son began the mind-bending recruitment process. RUF forces are knowledgeable about brainwashing techniques. And with the use of drugs and coercion, they force the children to forget about their past, hate their parents, and begin to embrace their new family the RUF. It was an ugly sight but it will become worse as the audience gets a glimpse as to the industry that perpetuates this barbarity and extreme violence – the diamond industry.

All the grime and the sweat are contrasted by the Europeans that came as entrepreneurs, mercenaries, journalists, observers, etc. They came with their pale white-skinned others are trying to help while many more are trying to exploit Sierra Leone especially when it comes to diamonds. Here comes Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) a mercenary who discovered that after a time in captivity Solomon discovered a very rare pink diamond the size of a child’s fist. By this time Solomon had a basic understanding of diamonds and how valuable is the precious rock to many powerful people. Solomon used this to force Archer to help him find his son Dia.

As the duo tried to retrieve the pink diamond from the mines the story began to show how the West contributed to the war. It is through “blood diamonds” or “conflict diamonds” that allowed the RUF to stay in the war for a very long time. It was interesting to note that many so-called democratic governments are well aware of the situation but it seems that Sierra Leone was on its own.

Historical Accuracy

By simply scratching the surface and doing basic research work the proponent was able to find out that aside from the fictitious names used in the movie, the storyline is fairly accurate. Data gleaned from Washington Post even revealed that it is not only the rebel forces that used the diamonds to finance the war but even the Sierra Leone government are eager participants in the trade. It is business as usual in this part of the world.

Genocide

It is also important to note that the cutting of arms is not just inserted in the movie to make the story more compelling but news archives and reliable sources are consistent with their reporting that mutilations are just part of the Civil War. This can be constituted as genocide in some quarters. Genocide is defined as actions with an intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, or religious group and it is expounded as follows:

causing serious bodily harm or mental harm;
imposing measures intended to prevent births;
forcibly transferring children of the group to another group (see United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2008).

Based on the above definition it one can begin to make arguments why certain groups are capable of performing genocide. It can be due to hatred of a particular group or a calculated move to make one group inferior to another. In this case, arms are amputated and obviously, it is to make the men unable to resist future attacks or stage a counter-offensive. Moving children also ensures that the enemy will not be able to increase its strength and avenge what had happened to their group, clan, or tribe.

Conclusion

The movie was successful in forcing the West to take a closer look at how greed and the love for money are making them blind to the atrocities that are happening in conflict areas in the world. Consumerism is contributing to the genocide that has become a regular occurrence in many parts of the world. If it is not in the arms trade it is in the trade of goods that will allow armies to purchase weapons so that they can, in turn, use it to destroy and torment their fellow men.

References

Blood Diamond. Warner Bros. 2008. Web.

Farah, Douglas. “Children Forced to Kill.” Global Policy Forum [online]. 2008. Web.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “What is Genocide.” 2008. Web.

Rupert, James. “Diamond Hunters Fuel Africa’s Brutal Wars.” Washington Post [online]. 2008. Web.

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