by Cheryl Sanchez
Monday, August 07, 2006
In this essay, the writer would outline how African diamonds from Namibia. South-Africa, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Angola and Congo is owned, mined, stockpiled or sold, cut and retailed, without the majority of Africans, in the countries mentioned enjoying any economic or social benefits. In addition, the World Diamond Congress born around 1947, has no African representatives on it's governing body. How did the concentration of ownership of African wealth end up in the hands of the Jewish community predominantly? What about the myths created by the diamond industrialist? All lies created to keep the price of diamonds high whilst keeping the cost of production low. One could even argue that, diamond mining is a low paid, non-unionized job with practically no adherence to health and safety laws. Whilst everybody else is making a killing, those governments are not receiving any taxes- One could actually conclude-it is one of the greatest scams with a multitude of African tragedies e.g. Mbuyi Mayi, a diamond centre in the Congo has a population on 1 million residents , no access to health care as there are no state hospitals, limited power supplies and very few communications lines to the outside world. Same conditions could be found in Luderitz, another mining town in Namibia. But there are more. How did all this begin?
Cecil Rhodes set up a company De Beers (Name of the Boer landowner, where the first diamond was found 1867), in
South-Africa in 1888. The farmer was actually illegally occupying Griqualand. By 1893 Rhodes had
begun excluding everybody else from the diamond selling business. How? By giving the contract to 10 Jewish firms in London, to sell African
gems. These are the firms:- Wernher, Beit & Co Brother, Mosenthal Sons &
Company, A. Dunkelsbuhler, Joseph Brothers, I Cohen Compnay, Martin Lilienfield and Company. F.F Gervers, S. Neumann and Feldheimen Company.
Rhodes gave them boast and an advantage which, they maintain up to the present. Afterwards forming the World Diamond Congress which, meets
bi-annually since it's inception in 1947. During the 16th century in Europe, Jews
were excluded from most activities except two. 1) Cutting and
polishing stones. 2) Lending money. The activities co-depended on one another. When people failed to repay money, jewels were used as
repayment, which were then re-sold and invested into business sectors.
E.g. Once Portugal began their navigational adventures to Goa, Jewish merchants started paying sailors to buy diamonds directly from Indian
miners, on their behalf. Portugal became the diamond port until the Catholic Inquisitions forced Jews to move out and upwards to
Antwerp-Catholic dominated Southern Netherlands then-now in modern Belgium since 1830. The community
continued re-investing their money/profits from the diamond trade into companies such as the Dutch
East India Company. This is the same company on it's many pit stops, landed in the Western Cape and stayed there from
1652-1814, when the British bought the Cape for £6,000,00. This area was mainly used for
providing the refreshment and sexual needs of sailors on their way from
The East Indies to Europe. Epstein J.E-(2982)-The Investigation
So that when it came to responding to the DE Beers Diamond mining and selling monopoly, they used the oldest
activity -They United themselves into a syndicate, and then, bought large amounts of stocks and shares in
the companies. The leader in this deal was A Dunkelsbuhler. This company hired a young
German Jewish apprentice. He started off sorting and classifying diamonds. He ended up managing that business in London. But
Dunkelsbuhler wanted more control than it already had as part of an exclusive, powerful and secretive operation. They sent their main
man - Ernest Oppenheimer who together with his family members from 1900 until the present see African diamonds as their personal belonging. The
African's role is about digging diamonds.
Around 1930's, there was concern about the decline in prices world-wide especially De Beers bankers Morgan
Bank - now Morgan Stanley. It was Morgan bank, which recommended the Lauck and N,W Ayers a top raking
advertising agency in the USA to Harry Oppenheimer. Slogans -" A diamond is forever" and "diamonds are a girl's best friend as sung by Marilyn
Munroe" became embedded in languages world-wide. Even Japanese women who did not traditionally use diamond engagement rings in their courtship
and marriage arrangements, were sucked into the diamond myth. Oppenheimer wanted a changed image for diamonds to more accessible to
American working class people. It made economic sense since America was the largest capitalist country. Diamonds has to be linked with love and
romance. The larger the diamond meant a greater expression of the
emotions.
De Beers continues to sanitize and glamorize the industry by using royalty and rich people for their own ends. De Beers gave Kylie Monogue
a large solitaire pendant, which she has seen in many of her videos. J.K Rowling wore diamond drop earrings at one of the many
Harry Potter premiers. We cannot Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Liza Minelli. Caroline
Herrera, Paloma Picasso, Lee Anneberg and the British Royalty. Roberts Janine (2003)
The British Royal Family was used to hike the prices by simply wearing diamonds. Queen Elizabeth returned the "favour" by visiting De Beers
mines during a well publicized trip to South Africa. Besides the "crown jewels-African jewels", The Queen owns the following. 14 Tiaras, 46
necklaces, 98 broaches and 37 bracelets. Even during the war, it was suggested that," the Queen has a patriotic duty to wear diamonds". What
kind of human being would publicly utter such an inappropriate statement in the middle of a war? This is 1940, when many soldiers and civilians
were losing their lives in World War 2. Many families in Europe were forced to live on food rations and under curfews. Answer- somewhat of a
cold, calculating, uncaring, unfeeling and emotionally distant character, parading as a human.
The book - Diamonds Famous and Fatal: The History, mystery & Lore of the world's most precious gem by Leo P Kendall
presents the industry as a very law abiding and playing by all the rules laid down kind of
operation. There are no victims, tragedies, no racism, no greed, no sabotage and no deaths of any kind. This book never reveals the facts.
It seems to have lost it's way in the spin.
Most workers get 1,300 Nrands= £130. Those are the one who are unionised. Their families live in abject poverty in real hovels without
access to pipe borne water, electricity and universal free health care and education up to secondary level. The miners must remain in enclosed
compounds with the minimal facilities. Let's put it another - if you had an animal you loved, you would not treat it like how the mining
companies treat these African miners. Grown men with families are forced to share bunk
beds - like children, without mattresses. There is no respect for elder workers. They are separated from their families for
months on end. They are X-rayed without their consent. They are exposed to more dangers than the white workers. Last but not
least, they are feed with alcohol like the winery owners do with their workers in the wine
business. There are few recreational facilities in the compound except alcohol.
These workers always have to deal with the Diamond Protection Unit on a daily basis. Companies being and sold without their knowledge. But, the
racist conditions under which these people work, go unchecked and unchallenged by either government or union. People do hazardous jobs
without any insurance cover. When they die in the mines their families receive nothing. One worker at the Western Holdings Min complained in
1976, " We live like animals in the compounds without our wives…the life we lead is worse than slavery of the life of a beast of burden". When the company in question, was told the cost of improving the native
Africans accommodation would be equivalent to 1/4 of a year's profits they never bothered to carry out the renovations. So, the European
workers continue to receive preferential treatment. So, no adherence to Equal Opportunities either, which seem to be above the South
African/Namibian laws.
SWAPO came to power, the management structure has remained the same i.e. all white.
Despite all these human rights abuse taking place since 1900's up to the present, De Beers and it's fellow mining companies seems almost above
the law. Stellenbosch University, a top Afrikaner University created a new chair in honour of Harry Oppenheimer
called - The Harry Oppenheimer Chair for the study of Human rights - is this a sick joke or what? The
European and Coloureds view the native Africans as "trash". All the resources are meant for their minority. Lands which were stolen prior to
1994 have not been returned to it's lawful native African owners. Colonial mining deals struck with mining companies have been
honoured instead of being dishonoured. Even beaches which, belong to the people now belong to De Beers-Surely this is illegal? Isn’t it? Surely, if
someone did not sign a contract-they should be honouring said contract. Wrong or right.
Diamonds can now be made in a laboratory with the tight chemical ingredients. Apparently this was being done as early as 1880. Then in
1953 and 1955. General Electric carried on making diamonds using a simple oxyacetylene
torch and some bottles of gas - i.e. methane gas. The story goes that De Beers quietly formed another company on the Isle of
Man to manufacture diamonds. Apparently, as long as the substance contains carbon-it can produce a diamond. Another scientist also
discovered that," passing microwaves through a mixture of methane and hydrogen= diamonds. Roberts J (2003)
The arms industry needs diamonds for the following purposes:
Airplane engines, torpedoes, tanks, artillery and other weapons of war. Diamonds are also needed for making radars and other
electronics of war. Stabilisers, gyroscopes and guidance systems for submarines and planes
needs jeweled bearings. They can be used to make the super-hard missile cone or super-hard optical glass for spacecraft instruments. Can you
imagine how powerful the Oppenheimers / DE Beers felt realising the millions of trump cards they held. They could and actually use that
power, at a time when USA really, really needed supplies, to feed their weapons factories. One cannot forget Hitler as, Germany needed their
diamond supplies as well. This information can be found in chapter 7- Diamonds for Hitler- Roberts J (2003). See Chapter 9; Diamonds for
Hitler- The Investigations by Edward J Epstein internet site-The secret war report of the OSS.
It was formed in 1947 and has held bi-annual meetings ever since. There are no African Representatives at WDC either. All the members are from
non-diamond producing countries. Basically, it is likely that 5 of the 6 members are Jews plus one non-Jewish. Members listed from their website
include Eli Izhakoff, Matthew a Runci, William E Boyajian, Peter Meeus and Zvi Shur. This is not a democratic or transparent organisation
either. They talk in riddles most of the time. They never mention terms and conditions of labour, or the tactics used to cheat various African
countries of taxes from their own mineral resources, racism, holding millions of Africans to ransom. This organisation and the mining
companies continue to look after their interest-profit making margins. If 200 or so Africans die directly to unsafe conditions-well tough!
If families in Mbuyi Mayi and Luderitz die from preventable diseases and or live with high levels of alcoholism among parents or they have no
access to free schools and an acceptable quality of life or access to affordable treatment and fair wages-then tough. It is actually quite patronising when people like USA democratic senator come up with meaningless remarks like," the diamond- a symbol of love in
America (world-wide) -should not be paid for by the blood of Africans" Wake up Mr.
senator- Africans have been paying with their lives for the enrichment of De Beers/the Oppenheimer/The Rupperts and the other
respectable business people.
Wake up Mr. Senator- this method is over 400 years old. De Beers/ Oppenheimers/ The Rupperts Trivalence-Asian Canadian mining company in
Guinea are new comers to this method. The stealing of African resources for the building of Europe and
providing work for Europeans and Asians is not a new thing. It is called capitalism! The transformation of
African resources into wealth and power for everybody else except the Africans is quite common
Mr. Dick Durbins-Democratic senator. Do not forget that, all your civil servants based in Africa had to do was
mention the word " he might be a communist"- your embassies and your other " officials" would be helping the other side, to get rid of often times elected leaders. If the elected leader does not want to go, then
you either get him murdered or fund wars, to deny people their just revolution e.g.
Angola. Stop being a hypocrite now!
Eli Izhakoff, chairman of WDC had this very fine sounding hope of his industry when he said," we are committed to enactment of strong
legislation that will help establish an international system to ensure that, only legitimate diamonds are traded. In addition, he said," our
goal is to stop the abhorrent practices of rebel movements in Africa that use illegal diamond sales to finance their insurgencies". Perhaps,
he conveniently forgot to add that, De Beers dumped all the "conflict diamonds on the USA. Perhaps, he is not aware that, Mobutu and his
family normally came to the mines to select their share of the diamonds, which they sold in Antwerpen to "those ask no questions buyers. It
smells of public relations exercise rather than, a real plan to carry out in-depth in house cleaning.
United Nations reports in 2001 implicated conflict diamonds also heading for Tel-Aviv. Congolese, Sierra Leone and Angolans diamonds were leaving
in Israeli planes piloted by former air force pilots. In exchange for diamonds, they sellers would receive weapons, training and hard
currency. These conflict were the sold at the Ramat Gan Diamond Centre. UNITA managed to keep their civil war going by selling their "conflict
diamonds" to De Beers via DeBeers for 6 years between 1992-1998 through De Beers buyers-whatever that means. Unita made $4 billion. UNITA
carried on the terror on unarmed civilian targets, with the sale of diamonds totaling $100 million-the people's birthright ended up being made into jewels for
American consumption. Whist Angolans are without free education, universal health care or access to free medicines and
pipe borne water.
The moral of this very tragic story for the diamond producing African nations is quite simple. Unite! Demand reparation from De Beers and all
their companies registered in places like Bermuda, Leichenstein, Luxembourg and Panama and in Liberia. Naivety is a hindrance to
conquering that great Octopus De Beers/The Oppenheimers. How can it be that, the government and the 1.5 million people are being ransom by one
family? Mathematics tells me it is near impossible. It could very well be that, Namibia government does think researching and keeping tabs on
De Beers is either urgent or necessary. It is okay for an agent De Beer to be stealing from the country, without the owners asking questions. Why are Namibian diamonds leaving the mines in armoured cars and vans,
without government official knowledge? Why is the government allowing De Beers to practise and exploitation? What the ANC and SWAPO and 4 other
African governments do not want to entertain is this, 6 governments and their 83 million population can surely get rid of this one family. Come
on now Africans-you can do it!
Email: sanchezcheryl@hotmail.com
References:
Epstein E.J (2006) The Investigation; Chapters 8 & 9
Epstein E.J (1982) Have you ever tried to sell a diamond? Atlantic Monthly USA
Kendall Leo.P( 2001) Diamonds famous and fatal; The history, mystery & lore of the world's most precious gem. Barricade Books NJ USA
Roberts J (2003) Glitter and Greed: the secret world of the diamond cartel Disinformation Press NY USA