The mining industries – bauxite, diamonds, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gold, whatever, are quite rightly considered by many in the 21st century of global environmental and economic awareness, to be archaic practices and damning testaments to poor, indifferent, ill-informed approaches to development.

The concept of mining rests on the mistaken assumption that any country can become rich by simply raping the land. Divesting their own countries of their geological wealth and selling it at prices set not by them, the sellers, but infact, by international buyers who control. regulate and effectively monopolise the market. The permanent environmental devastation caused by destruction of land and pollution of waterways and the soil; the disruption of normal village agricultural and other industries; the abuse and exploitation of workers; the disruption and dislocation of (as well as intimidation and violence against) those that stand in the way of mining companies; the permanent loss of the country’s natural wealth and mineral assets; the callous indifference shown towards the creation of new opportunities for creating employment and securing our national wealth by adding value through processing, polishing, setting, etc. All because there exists, for many, a moronic, selfish, lazy, no-brain-or-skill-required route of digging something up that has not been developed or created by any Sierra Leonean (for it is part of the country itself, and therefore belongs to all of us (including future generations yet unborn), which is permanently removed, in contrast to the short term benefit of a comparatively insignificant amount of cash, (though perceived as large to the monetarily,morally and mentally ‘short-changed’ ‘business men’ at prices set not even by them but by an international market made of cartels and cabals. And at the end of it all, I am still waiting for an explanation for someone wiser than the rest of us, to explain why people living and working in the gold and diamond mining villages of Sierra Leone are always amongst the least developed, least educated and least rewarded people in Sierra Leone.

I’m sorry, to labour the point, but there is seemingly little of merit to commend any part – mining, selling or even buying – of this whole diabiolocal exercise in destruction – social, environmental and economic…

Which is why the concept of ‘fair-trade diamonds’ is, at at the barest minimum, just a little intriguing. It certainly sounds like a paradox, but I’d wager it’s a fully unreconstructed oxymoron. (Oh dear, yet another industry ‘moron’…) This might seem to be the case, especially if ‘fair trade’ is recognised for creating ‘financially equitable costing and pricing for socially responsible and environmentally sustainable farming, manufacturing and other trading activities.’

Nevertheless, one ought not to judge until one is in command of the facts. So I have pleasure in sharing with you, various initiatives which aim to change and improve the nature of the industry. (If one does have to have the industry at all – for which I personally do not see any overwhelmingly pressing humanitarian or ecological need – then it must be better for the good of all concerned for the working conditions and practices of the industry to be improved upon.)

Firstly, here are some references for you to gather the facts on what currently obtains within the industry:-

• www.amnestyusa.org
• www.conflictfreediamonds.org
• www.brilliantearth.com
• www.diamondsforafricafund.org
• www.Arts4Africa.org
• www.nodirtygold.org
• www.dreamsofafrica.org
• http://www.communitymining.org/

Secondly, here are some brief profiles of some of the companies trying to change the industry:-

• Pride Diamonds (http://www.pridediamonds.com)
  Pride Diamonds seems keen to apply the business model of ’social entrepreneurship’ to the activity of diamond mining. Whether this is simply an attractive bit of ‘greenwash’ to woo investors, or whether they are sincere and genuine, time will tell. However, it is to their credit that they at least publicly recognise the deep-seated problems of the mining industry and are intimating the idea that other working methods might exit. You can read the full article, (written by Wade Watson, a co-founder and director of Pride Diamonds) about the company’s objectives of Social Entrepreneurship to help rebuild Sierra Leone at A FairJewelry.Org exclusive: Wade Watson, On Rebuilding Sierra Leone.
• The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM)
  ARM is an international and multi-institutional organisation established to ensure credibility, transparency and legitimacy in the development of a responsible production framework applicable to artisanal and small-scale mining. ARM is an independent, global-scale, pioneering initiative established in 2004 to enhance equity and wellbeing in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities through improved social, environmental and labour practices, good governance and the implementation of ecosystem restoration practices. ARM is committed to social justice and environmental responsibility as the values driving the transformation of ASM. ARM’s vision is for ASM to become a formalised, organised and profitable activity that uses efficient technologies, and is socially and environmentally responsible, and increasingly develops within a framework of good governance, legality, participation and respect for diversity, driven by a growing consumer demand for sustainable and fair-trade jewellery and mineral commodities.
• The Conflict-Free Diamond Council (http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/)
  The Council is a nonprofit organization and their stated mission is: To Create Demand for Certified Conflict-Free Diamonds. The global trade in “conflict” or “blood” diamonds is a supply and demand problem:  If every consumer demanded a certified conflict-free diamond, then companies would be forced to supply only certified conflict-free diamonds.  The result?  The market for non-certified “conflict” or “blood” diamonds would cease to exist. While some companies, governments, and international organizations have made progress on this issue, nobody has mobilized or empowered the consumer. 
•  Dreams of Africa  (http://www.dreamsofafrica.org/) A Designer range of custom jewelry created to help the victims of blood diamonds. 100% of profits go towards relief efforts.

And finally…

Did you know?: The amount spent by the World Diamond Council to counter fallout from the film, Blood Diamond, set in Sierra Leone? $15 million. How gratifying it could/would/should have been for the victims of the war (or indeed those still being exploited in Sierra Leone’s diamond industry) to know that they (or the Sierra Leone government on behalf of its citizenry) had sufficient sense of the value of our country’s commodities, sufficient appreciation of the global influence and of film and the media in general, and sufficient foresight to have sensibly negotiated for a small percentage of the royalties from the film… Is that really asking too much?