dangerous diamond scandal (more)

See Cherry's comment on this and her information on Greg Campbell's book. The book synopsis on Amazon says "the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global".

when diamonds cut the wrong way

The new Leonardo di Caprio film Blood Diamond is causing a stir ... and it's a powerful example of film medium illuminating a cause ~ as did "The Constant Gardener" ~ and how positive social action can be stirred by the arts.

Seems the blood diamonds issue has for 10 years been the passionate concern of a small London-based organisation, Global Witness, who provided the spark for this new Oscar-nominated movie. The film's director Ed Zwick said the people behind the charity are "the real heroes of the conflict-diamond story". Global Witness have a very informative website on all this.

Amnesty International USA has joined forces with Global Witness and the film to mobilise awareness. You can even get a red 'blood diamond/clean diamond' bangle from Amnesty.