Blood Diamond movie upholds DeBeers and Western colonialism

The movie Blood Diamond is nothing but spin for the brutal DeBeers cartel and Western colonial powers in Africa.

Africa’s diamonds and all Africa’s resources are the birthright of African people everywhere!

You might believe the movie Blood Diamond presents a realistic portrayal of the diamond trade in West Africa. It does not. Blood Diamond blames African people for their own oppression and upholds white people, colonialism and the vicious
DeBeers diamond cartel as saviors.

The notoriety of blood diamonds grew up during very brutal wars in Sierra Leone and West Africa instigated by African forces acting as proxies for U.S. and Western interests. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF), portrayed in the movie, was one of these forces. Their goal was to make sure that truly independent governments in Africa would never represent the interests of poor and impoverished people themselves.

These proxy forces took over some of the diamond mines, selling diamonds on the open market to enrich themselves.

The term “blood diamond” was coined by the brutal DeBeers cartel. DeBeers has controlled the worldwide diamond market for nearly a hundred years to keep prices artificially inflated.

DeBeers was afraid that their worldwide control of prices would be undermined by a market flooded with renegade diamonds. This is why DeBeers set up the Kimberley Process—to keep the unregulated diamonds off the market.

DeBeers has no concern for the conditions inflicted on West Africans by the RUF.

DeBeers—which owns the “legitimate” diamond mines in Africa—is part of the legacy of slavery, colonialism and genocide in Africa. DeBeers and the colonial powers in Africa have been perpetrating against African people for the past five hundred years the same atrocities attributed in the movie to the RUF.

• DeBeers was founded in the early 20th century by Cecil Rhodes who colonized Southern Africa for the British.
• Rhodes was responsible for genocide against African people in Southern Africa. He introduced the machine gun to Africa and his mercenary forces often slaughtered 5,000 African people in a single afternoon.
• DeBeers mines force their workers to live in open bunkers in slave-like conditions away from their families and community.
• DeBeers was instrumental in setting up the apartheid regime in South Africa.

The billion-dollar profits of the entire diamond industry benefit America and Europe. Eighty percent of the best diamonds in the world come from Africa, yet African people themselves reap no benefits from this stolen wealth. In the diamond producing countries of Africa:

• More than half of the people live on less than a dollar a day. *Diamond workers in the “legitimate” mines make 30 cents a day with no health care, unions or benefits.
• There is no infrastructure: no electricity, no running water, no good roads.
• There is the highest incidence of AIDS in the world without access to medication and health care.

All around the world African people face poverty and terror as a result of the brutality of slavery and colonialism. Africa and all its resources is the birthright of all African people, wherever they have been dispersed. The Uhuru Movement is leading the worldwide effort for the liberation of Africa.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Join the Uhuru Solidarity Movement in the campaign to expose the truth that all diamonds are blood diamonds!
• Boycott all diamonds!
• Support reparations to African people.
• Donate your diamonds to the Uhuru Movement’s program to bring electricity, water purification and political power to African people

Join the All Diamonds are Blood Diamonds Campaign!

www.apscuhuru.org or www.boycottdiamonds.net

National: 541-16th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33705 • info@apscuhuru.org • 727-824-5685
Phildelphia, PA: 215-387-0919 • uhuru99@critpath.org
Boston, MA: 857-233-7508 • RobAPSC@excite.com
Oakland, CA: 510-625-1106 • uhurureparations@yahoo.com

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