Diamonds are forever...

"Diamonds are forever" it is often said. But lives are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations and death for the sake of conflict diamonds."

- Martin Chungong Ayafor

Diamonds are such a rare treasure in the eyes of many people all around the world. Through ever since the 1867 discovery of diamonds in South Africa, the world not only had a larger supply of diamonds, but also a new way of getting them. The diamond industry not only grew at an extensive rate, it increased more then tenfold in the next 10 years. With a growing Western civilization the idea of wealth behind diamonds, turned the mining of diamonds into something more destructive to the culture of African then one ever imagined.

Across the majority of African, diamonds actually fuel the wars. Diamonds are so important for predatory governments and rebels that war has become a useful cover for hugely profitable smuggling enterprises. But for millions of Africans who happen to get in a way, diamonds are agents of terror. Some people have even given diamonds the name "Conflict" Diamonds". Though there is the common name that everyone knows "Blood Diamond".

Please check out this video: This helps for me to describe the seriousness behind blood diamonds.



When most people hear the term "Blood Diamond" they automatically associate it with the movie Blood Diamond that was put out a few years ago. The movie it self is a great film. Though it is an even better film in the sense that it really shines a light into what is really going on in Africa over diamonds. The movie portrays it better then I could ever honestly talk about.

So please enjoy this movie trailer from Blood Diamond:



The majority of the people around the world know very little or nothing about Blood Diamonds. I know personally I did not know anything about the diamond issue in Africa until I watched this movie. It is a sad but important movie. It not only gives viewers an inside look at what is going on in Africa over these precious diamonds, but also does it in an interesting way. Reading about the truth behind the diamond industry and what is really going on is one thing, but to see visuals many times even more powerful. That is how I look at this movie, it showed everything with such conviction, that it even made me cry.

Lumumba

I got the chance to see the movie Lumumba for my African Literature class. The movie was about Patrice Lumumba, who was an African anti-colonial leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped to win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. The story of his life was one of courage and persistence. The movie showed just how persistence he really was and how much he endured just for his country.

Though was is interesting to me is that he had an interesting position. I was not sure if I wanted to look at him as someone who just worked the system, or someone who was more of a puppet for the Belgium and didn't know it. It could be said that he worked for the Belgium, though in his eyes he probably would have said that he worked with the Belgium, to get things done. I believe in getting things done by any means necessary but I am not sure if I would have wanted to be someones puppet.

He worked for a long time, giving up most of what made him "him" in order to make things better for his people. Which I can say that makes him a great man in my eyes for not giving up. He fought a hard fight. But it is sad to say that he was not fully able to see all of his work pay off.


With his work, the Congo finally saw an independence. But it was nothing compared to the type of "independence" that the Belgium gave them while he was alive. What he saw was a country who declared their independence, only to still be under the control of Belgium in more ways then one. Yet he continued to fight and struggle to hold on to the control, which only worked so well. The Congo turned into complete chaos after their initial declaring of their independence. People were mad! They wanted power to be in the hands of who they felt deserved it. Though at the time, no one person was thought of to be there right person whether they be Belgium or African. Partly this was because of Belgium still being present in Congo.

Then there were also those, who were out only for themselves! There were people that Lumumba trusted that even stabbed him in his back. Primarily one even that was responsible for his death. It is sad that again there is another account in history of someone giving their all for their country and their people. Only to be undercut by one of their own people, even worse someone he considered a friend.

Patrice Lumumba is a man that will forever be remembered as someone who did all they could till his dying day. He surely made his mark in history.

Part of the importance of watching the movie I was able to see the story in a completely different light then if I was to have read about him. That is the great thing about movies. Also, one thing that makes this particular movie so important was that it was a "dubbed" movie. Meaning that the movie, was done in one language, but was dubbed in other languages in order to reach a larger population.

Being able to do that for movies in Africa, were and still are very important because of the vast number of different languages that exist through out Africa. This was a movie that I would consider, at the time to be an important movie that surely needed to be seen in many different parts of Africa. So being that this movie wad dubbed, it had the opportunity to reach a wide range of people.

Ancestor Stones

This book, Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna , is surely a book that I am going to have to keep reading. After starting the book I am realizing that it is hard to keep up with all of the different women in the book. There is the family tree in the front cover, but that is not helping me at all. But I digress, the book is a very poetic reading. For those that love symbolism, this is a great book for you.

The book starts out with a very poetic and touching story about butterflies. The first time that I read it, I really didn't understand the symbolism in it. It was just very sweet to me. Though after talking to some people in my African Literature class, I was able to see that there was way more meaning behind it then I had originally thought. It is actually very moving.

So far this story starts about showing the life of many different generations of women. All of these women who are very different then each other yet all connect one way or another. Many of the characters are strong and beautiful women. They all have very defined personalities that I am looking forward to learning more about. Also, I can not wait to find out the true meaning behind the stones. I know right now that they are based on something to do with religion, but I am curious to find out the rest.

STAY TUNED!!!

XALA

I do have to admit that Xala by Ousmane Sembène, is probably one of my favorite books that I have read so far regarding post-colonization in Africa. After reading the different books regarding pre-colonization and the things that actually happened during colonization. It is refreshing to read another book that is more of a story. I am not one for reading actual history books. And this book tells a very interesting story the depicts how certain thins worked after Europe supposedly left Africa.

It was interesting to read that even after Europe, and France, came and left their influence on all of Africa. That there were still parts of the African ways that managed to survive. That is something that actually surprised me highly. With the strong impact of the Europe culture and way of life, I was pretty sure that Africa would lose the majority of there own cultures. Though this book shows how people tried to hold on to certain parts of their own culture, while still having remnants of the European culture.

In Xala, you see that one major thing that was still prominent is polygamy. The idea of having more than one wife was something that was and actually still is a part the african culture in many different parts of Africa. And this book is one that shows it in a very unique light as compared to some of the other books that I have read. Though I personally do not agree with the whole idea behind polygamy. It is still an interesting thing to learn about.

In Xala, the relationship between the three wives and the husband were very unique. Each wife is so different from another and have very separate lives from one another, which is odd to me. In other books that I have read such as Things Fall Apart, the different wives have their separate home yet they still have a relationship with each other. Another big difference to me, was that in Xala, the first wife's oldest daughter Rama, was against Polygamy. Rama even acted more like how most people her age act now. But I was very surprised that she was against polygamy, given that her family took part in it. But I guess that like most cases in life, children do not always agree with the things that their parents do.

In general, after I started reading this book. It is one that I am going to have to keep in my collection of books. It was nothing like what I expected it to be like. It had its own drama, "xala problems", and sarcasm that I was not expecting. Especially from a book that was given to me to learn something. So if anyone happens to come across this book I do advise to pick it up and give it some of your time. You won't be disappointed!

One thing that is also funny to me is that I have yet to learn about there ever being any female polygamist. Then again I guess this comic explains it well...

Camara Laye

Camara Laye was an Malinké writer who was born in Guinea in 1928 while the country was still under French rule. Being Malinké he was traditionally supposed to work as a blacksmith or a goldsmith. Though he actually grew up with an education that was leading him down the path of becoming an engineer. In 1947 he was awarded a engineering scholarship and left for France. Though while in college he wrote his first novel L'Enfant noir (The African Child, 1954, also published under the title The Dark Child). This novel is an autobiography of his childhood, the differences that he experienced from his childhood to his life in France.

While doing research on Laye I found that the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe considered The Dark Child "too sweet" for his taste. After reading Achebe's thoughts on other books that I have read. I am very curious to know what he means by "too sweet". Also a man by the name of Thomas Lask in the New York Times saw the novel in a different light, he saw that it was a "tender re-creation of African life, mysterious in detail but haunting and desirable in spirit." Even with everyone having very different opinions, The Dark Child still happens to be Laye's most published writing. The novel even won the Prix Charles Veillon award in 1954.

After his first novel he continued to write two other novels that are earliest major works of Francophone African literature. This first being The Radiance of the King in 1954 and the second in 1966 titled Dramouss (A Dream of Africa 1968). It was in 1966 when he was working for the government that he was exiled from Guinea for his political opinions in his third book. After everything that happened with his third book he no longer wrote books based on his political opinions. Though he did write a fourth book in 1978 titled, Le Maître de la parole - Kouma Lafôlô Kouma (The Guardian of the Word 1980). This book received the Prix de l'Académie Française award.

Laye later died in 1980. Leaving behind his wife and seven children.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Walter Rodney wrote a great and insightful article titled How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, book not only showed another side to what happened in Africa, but it did it in a very straight forward manner. Rodney did not try to pull an wool over anyone's eyes, or sugar coat anything. He saw what happened in Africa for exactly what it was, and wrote about it so that others all saw in to the darkness of what Europe called "colonization". Rodney showed what was going on in Africa not only during colonization but also before. This gives any reader more insight to what effect Europe really had on Africa. It shows just how much things changed, as well as what was possible if Africa had not had a Holocaust of its own.

The Europeans (and others) came to Africa on what I call the "greed movement". They saw Africa and all of its resources as something for the taking and it did not matter what they had to do. They came for the ivory, rubber and anything else that they could get their hands on. In my eyes greed was the driving force for colonization. It was not about anyone making anything better or for helping anyone. It was all about what people could get out of it for themselves. I do not honestly believe that any human being could allow themselves to be involved in the violence, the killing, and the torture that was put on the people of Africa unless there was something that they were getting out of it. Something that was truly of some value and great worth. I truly believe that greed is what started it, continued it, and still today is what will still going to finish it.

Another look into the Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a book that many critics say is "among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language." Though I can say that it is nice to finally be able to look at this novel from another point of view. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, looks at Heart of Darkness in a completely different perspective.

He wrote the article "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" which is what I would say to be a very insightful look into the writing style and idea behind Heart of Darkness. When reading the, I had a hard time with Conrad's wording and Archebe speaks on that withing his article. This quote sums it up better than I surely ever could. I truly also felt that Conrad uses decriptive words to the point that is becomes too much and Archebe notes that...

"When a writer while pretending to record scenes, incidents and their impact is in reality engaged in inducing hypnotic stupor in his readers through a bombardment of emotive words and other forms of trickery much more has to be at stake than stylistic felicity."

Archebe makes so many insightful remarks of Heart of Darkness that is hard to not go on and on about them all. But in general I can say that it was truly refreshing to see someone with a very different out look on the novel. But the biggest issue that he speaks of is the racism that Conrad shows withing his novel. I do not know if first time readers even notice anything of that nature but Archebe surely catches it and points it out. Especially with the characters within the novel...

"The kind of liberalism espoused here by Marlow/Conrad touched all the best minds of the age in England, Europe and America. It took different forms in the minds of different people but almost always managed to sidestep the ultimate question of equality between white people and black people. That extraordinary missionary, Albert Schweitzer, who sacrificed brilliant careers in music and theology in Europe for a life of service to Africans in much the same area as Conrad writes about, epitomizes the ambivalence. In a comment which has often been quoted Schweitzer says: "The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother." "

There are quite a few times through out Archebe's article that he speaks of how Conrad explains differences throughout his book. And yes there truly were differences that were needed to be fully distinguished. But I think that it is Conrad's uncanny way of doing it. Then again there have been many times, which most everyone is guarenteed to have done once, where we say something one way and someone takes it the wrong way. Even if that is not how we may have meant for something to be said. After you say it what can you do?

Conrad may have had some rasism issues when writing Heart of Darkness. Many people during his time might have. Then again to give Conrad the benefit of the doubt, no one truly knows what Conrad meant during the majority of his novel other than him.