The non issue of conflict diamonds
A Skop, Skiet And Diamond Thriller
By Robert Gentle
15 Sep 2006 at 06:20 AM EDT
JOHANNESBURG (Business Day) -- Usually, the arrival of the next Hollywood movie is greeted by the corporate sector with one big yawn. However, when Blood Diamond hits the screens later this year, De Beers and the diamond industry will be more than casually interested.
Set in Sierra Leone during the bloody civil war of the late 1990s, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a diamond smuggler specialising in conflict diamonds. With its inevitable associations between diamonds and the killing of innocent people, this is not the kind of movie that the diamond industry wants to see lingering in the minds of consumers -- especially American consumers, who account for two-thirds of all purchases of diamond jewellery. The movie will probably -- by accident or design -- coincide with the peak Christmas shopping season when most diamond jewellery is bought.
What's a poor consumer to do? Don't buy cigarettes -- cigarettes cause cancer. Don't eat at McDonald's -- junk food makes you obese. Don't drive SUVs -- they destroy the planet. Now it could be: don't buy diamonds because they fuel wars that kill innocent children in Africa.
Could diamonds really become the new fur? The next cause du jour? Never mind the fact that the war featured in the movie is long over, or that Sierra Leone is at peace, and that even at their height nearly 10 years ago, conflict diamonds from the various African wars raging at the time never accounted for more than 4% of global sales. Today, thanks to a concerted effort by the diamond industry, that figure is down to less than 1% -- or fewer than one diamond in every 100.
That's because of the Kimberley Process, a United Nations-mandated, industry-led system of guarantees which certifies the origin of all diamonds crossing international borders. According to De Beers, they are sealed in tamper-proof containers and issued with forgery-proof certificates with unique serial numbers. Countries where diamonds are thought to be funding conflict are simply omitted from the process.
With progress like this, conflict diamonds should already be a non-issue. But the global diamond industry isn't taking any chances.
It has already started to crank up its PR machine, marshalling arguments and prepping everyone from manufacturers and jewellers to cutters and polishers.
A new industry website, www.diamondfacts.org, tackles conflict diamonds head-on and seeks to question the logic of those who might argue for a consumer boycott of diamonds in general. It cites statistics showing how more than 99% of all diamonds are conflict-free and demonstrates how diamonds drive development in dozens of countries around the world, from India to Israel. In Botswana alone, diamonds account for about one-third of gross domestic product, half of government revenues and fund the construction of roads, schools and hospitals.
But is this really the way to go? As a pro-diamond consumer who bought his first engagement ring when he got married last year, I think the industry should focus less on the numbers and more on plain common sense. After all, the boycott logic is so flawed that it could be demolished in 60 seconds flat by a high school debating team. Asking people to stop buying diamonds because some of them are used in wars is like asking them to stop buying cars because some of them are used in armed robberies.
This kind of reasoning really is a guilt trip too far. Diamonds don't kill; people do.
It's not so much about conflict diamonds as conflict assets. Throughout history, people have always funded their arms purchases by expropriating the most easily grabbable assets.
In the 1970s and 1980s, European terrorist groups such as the Red Brigades and the Baader-Meinhof gang robbed banks for easy cash. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait for its oil. South American rebel groups still kidnap westerners for multimillion-dollar ransoms.
Conflict diamonds will only end once the underlying sources of conflict end. Would-be boycotters should focus on cause, not effect.
So am I going to watch Blood Diamond when it comes out? You bet. Nothing like a bit of skop, skiet and donner over a tub of popcorn on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Is the movie likely to make me stop buying diamonds? Not a chance -- and in any case, my wife would kill me.
It'll be interesting to see whether DiCaprio goes along with any diamond boycott talk that might emerge. One would think not, for such a call would not go down well in Tinseltown. There, more than anywhere else, diamonds are a girl's best friend.