DRC Conflict Minerals

"In eastern DRC, the violence which now feeds off the illicit minerals trade has claimed more lives than any conflict since World War II." -Robert D. Hormats, Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Washington, DC

June 29, 2010

http://www.state.gov/e/rls/rmk/2010/143784.htm

A project I created on financial management for NGO's that operate in conflict zones:

http://financeconflict.weebly.com/index.html

Diamonds are killing...me

Did you know that diamonds would be worth between $2-$30 if they were put on the industrialized market? It is primarily due to the company Debeers, who controls the value of this natural resource, that they have become so valuable to the western world...

http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~lcabral/teaching/debeers3.pdf

On a 'Lighter' Note

My performance in an imitation aerobics dance of the Bad Boys' 1987 Crystal Light Aerobics Championships...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GR_8UWhMsM

On the TRC and Forgiveness and Revenge in Sierra Leone

The TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Committee) was created by the UN to establish a forum to help begin a process of reconciliation and healing for the victims and perpetrators of the war. During our interviews with many local NGOs, government institutions and the Special Court, we heard a mixed set of emotions and opinions regarding the efficacy of this committee.

Here is a sampling of what my group heard:

"The TRC was a platform for perpetrators and victims to confess and ask forgiveness. Many people had the opportunity. Many people refrained from testifying because they were afraid they would be arrested [even though the TRC specifically stated that confessions would not go punished]." -Special Court

"I can't do anything except forgive."
- from a woman featured in the Mercy Ships film. She spoke about her feelings on returning to her village after having fistula surgery. Before the operation her friends, family and community had ostracized her because of her ailment.

Question: Was 'forgiveness' imposed upon Sierra Leoneons by the government?
Response: The TRC asked victims of the civil war if they would be willing to meet their perpetrator face to face, and many responded, "Yes."

"The message of forgiveness came from every angle. Because there is a high rate of illiteracy, this contributed to the obstacle of passing on information - people did not understand it if they were illiterate." -Special Court

"Saying, 'I am sorry,' does not go down with our people. We need symbols of unity for forgiveness." -Special Court

Some of the symbolic gestures that were provided to villages by the TRC were:

Renaming of 'Bush wives' - during the civil war, women were captured by the rebels and forced to become 'wives'. The women and their resulting children, who were born in the bush were often given 'ugly' names. After the war ceremonies were conducted to rename the children.

Cleansings - Cleansings were provided to girls who were raped during the war. This was meant to reduce the stigmatization that is often attributed to women who are sexually assaulted. As a result of stigmatization they can be ostracized from the community and it is very difficult to find a husband. The girls were washed, provided new clothes and taken away from their communities for 1-2 days. Upon their return to their communities, they were greeted with dancing, singing and drumming.

Quotes and responses from the youth leaders in the diamond mine area of Tongo, where much of the violence initially broke out:

"We cannot forget...no matter what."

Question: How did communities deal with the trauma of loosing people?
Response: Cook food, call elders to pray, say names of people that have died

Question: Do people want revenge as justice?
Response: "We forget all of the past. To forgive and forget, and accept all of our brothers back into society."
"The TRC was justice for us."
"The government told us to do this [forgive & forget]."

Sustainable and Responsible Mining

http://www.brilliantearth.com/about-us/

Bikini Ban in Goa

http://thewip.net/contributors/2010/04/indias_bikini_ban_blaming_wome.html

Diamonds are a poor man's worst enemy

Every time that I see a diamond now, whether it is on some one’s finger, in some one’s ears, around some one’s neck or displayed in a store, brief thoughts on the following thoughts flash through my mind:

After our long day in Tonga at the diamond mind, the owner of the hotel that we were staying at in Makeni came to speak with us, as he is also a diamond mine owner. It was very hard to ask him questions, especially since we were still recovering from the days emotions of shock and frustration. He avoided most of our questions and instead spoke about himself as a Lebanese business owner in Sierra Leone, and how he having lived over 40 years in this country made him more Sierra Leoneon than other people. When he did manage to speak towards our questions on the seemingly injustices of the mining industry in Sierra Leone, he was often extremely defensive and impatient with us, even though we did not ask any confrontational questions. All in all, it was useful to get his perspective of the mining situation and it did help to balance out my thoughts and emotions after coming back from the mine in Tongo.

My own conclusions are that many mining areas do in fact have horrible working conditions. The workers are out in the sweltering sun from 8am-4pm, waist deep in murky water, wearing next to nothing and often do not stop to eat. The hotel owner, said that all of his workers are provided medications and rushed to the hospital if they get hurt, but I have an inclination that this is not the norm for mine workers. The mine that we visited had been previously mined by an international company, and was now in the hands of the local chiefdom. Thus, all of these workers were independent and as I found out had no medical insurance and there were no safety regulations or age limit enforced. The workers were really in a frenzy when we arrived. They wanted to know if we were here to buy diamonds and why a group of 14 white people were trudging across the sand dunes where they were working. When a local journalist who had accompanied us, started broadcasting our interview over the air, the workers calmed down and became quite attentive to what we were asking. I accept that many of the workers’ statements could have been exaggerated, because they were so excited to be broadcast on the radio about their work situation. But standing there in the humidity and intense heat beating down on us, and seeing firsthand the work these guys do, I could only feel outraged, frustrated and angry about what was taking place here.

Mining is very dangerous work in general, and as some Sierra Leoneons that I spoke with both stressed, it is like gambling. The miners go each day with the hope that they will find the ‘big one’. We saw the workers pull out some diamonds and other precious stones from the sand dunes. The one diamond was minuscule. Anything of value from this dusty, barren area, was found a long time ago. The hotel owner told us that diamond mining in Sierra Leone finished over ten years ago and over 90% of the valuable diamonds have been mined. But there still remains this ‘hope’ amongst workers that if they can only find that one diamond that will make them rich, they will never have to work a single day again. Instead, the reality is that most of them slave away their entire lives, never finding anything of value, and even if they do, they have no way of telling how much it is worth, and get ripped off by the nearest dealer. And even though most of the workers expressed this frustration more or less, they also cried that they had no other options to find better work. And having spent a day in Tongo, I understand their hopelessness and despair.

I am angered that the government has not done more to either instill within society that diamond mining is a fruitless game, or at least provide basic protection and a system to organize the mines that remain in operation. When asked if there were apart of any union, the workers laughed, as if this would be the last thing that they would do. Apparently the union is not representative of the workers. There was no form of organization amongst the workers to demand better conditions or benefits.

Unless Sierra Leone can control the finishing and processing of the diamonds that it possesses, the people will never see any of the benefits from this luxury industry. Sierra Leone only receives 3% of the revenue from its diamonds. Most importantly, corruption has to be fought within the government to allow mining workers to get basic benefits of health insurance and sustainable pay. The hotel owner believed that Sierra Leone should stop all efforts to mine diamonds and instead put its resources in growing its agricultural sector. I do not agree that agriculture is the solution to all of Sierra Leone’s problems of poverty and development, but the business of mining is certainly an inherent problem.

I spoke with the radio journalist for a while at the mine and learned that the only form of organization or protest the workers engage in, is violence. I believe that at this visit it became clear to us why and how the civil war started here, at the mines, and why it became so chaotic, violent and mission-less. The desperation, anger and frustration at this mining area was seething through these workers skin, eyes and voices. It was easy to see how another conflict could develop when there remains so much anger and despair. I was shaken.

An article that hints at the lengths governments will go to keep the mining industry out of the public eye.

Refugee All Stars!

Music making peace: http://refugeeallstars-audience.fm/

"What Are You Carrying?"

This clip portrays the hard physical labor that many women (and girls) in Africa are expected to perform. I noticed this while in Sierra Leone. It is incredible how they make these heavy loads appear as if they were carrying a feather on their heads. Not only do they often carry enormous bundles of goods on their heads but they also have their babies strapped to their backs. I saw very few men that carried anything. It really reinforced this saying in Sierra Leone that "women carry the heaviest burdens in society". This clip clearly presents the emotional and physical weights that women must endure.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/08/opinion/1247467297119/what-are-you-carrying.html?ref=global-home