This Is Africa...

Blood Diamond with its scenes of child soldiers gunning down women and children in their villages brings attention to what goes on in Africa. If anything, the movie increases awareness of the many human rights violations that take place in Africa and how they are connected. Rebels need guns and people to use them. So, they raid villages and capture young boys. These boys either mine for diamonds or become soldiers. The rebels sell the diamonds they find to smugglers, who then sell the rebels the guns they need. The diamonds then go to whoever the smugglers sell them to, both providing the buyer company with an unfair advantage of a cheaper source and the easy way out of claiming ignorance of how the smugglers acquired the diamonds. The movie also brings forth the idea that the consequences and motives from colonialism is still present. Colonies were established to acquire resources whether it be for industry, military, or in this case, luxury. Now, even though the western superpowers have handed over the keys to the (mostly corrupt) locals, the demand for those resources is still present. So, people still bleed the land of its resources for the westerners, and violence over who controls the resources still follows. Honestly, there is little difference from French or British soldiers oppressing the natives than rebel militia groups. Violence is still violence and the demand for these blood diamonds remains even though the situation has changed. Blood Diamond shows that even though the colonial system is a thing of the past, the new governments and power structures have left Africa facing the same problems that came with European explorers. The only difference now is the western governments are no longer directly responsible for the sufferings taking place.