The Peace Diamond of Sierra Leone
CRED Foundation

Kono District , Sierra Leone Copy CRED Foundation, 2005

As a fair trade jeweller I am beginning to think I have set myself an impossible task. Having spent years in search of pure gold, my customers (and let us not forget they are the ones who are always right), decide they want a fair trade diamond. God bless them I say, a fair trade diamond, that rarest of commodities, that icon of luxury and wealth, that deadly poison of conflict and destruction, that piece of polished perfection that adorns our goddesses of fashion, washed out Hollywood movie stars, the ears of celebrity 'soccerites' and every two bit R&B star who is compelled to demonstrate how rich and powerful they think they are.

In a conversation with Susie Sanders from Global Witness at the beginning of 2005 we discussed my dilemma of finding a fair trade diamond. A diamond that reflects the values of peace, shared prosperity and community participation: A diamond that in all its classical simplicity breaks the rules and offers a fairer cut to the alluvial diamond digger who plays the lottery every day of his life in search of the big stone that will make his fortune. Susie says – talk to the Peace Diamond Alliance of Sierra Leone.

The Peace Diamond Alliance was established in the heart of the Kono district eastern Sierra Leone in 2002. Sierra Leone has become synonymous with the word Blood Diamonds. The recent bloody civil war was waged over the diamonds fields of this small West African country. He, who controlled the diamonds, controlled the country and the Kono District was at the heart of this conflict. It is to this post war country and recuperating district that I head.

The six-hour journey east into the heart of Sierra Leone is better than I expected it to be. We travel pass endless rice paddies, hectic little African road side towns, police check points and UN vehicles scuttling up the road with an air of great importance. I know we are getting close to Koidu Town the heart of the diamond mining area when I begin to see the tell tale signs of small scale mining activity. Patches of land heavily deforested, piles of earth scattered around as though some monstrous demonic mole has been ripping the land up and pools of water the size of big fish ponds, in which men stripped down to their waist with picks and shovels are busy tearing up the land and sifting through the dirt as though the next handful will be the rough diamond jackpot.

Kono District , Sierra Leone Copy CRED Foundation, 2005

Visiting the alluvial diamond fields of Sierra Leone is in many ways no different to visiting any small-scale mining activity, with one added difference. Here you have the added exhilaration of the casino lottery. Every digger of which there are thousands, believes he is going to be the man who finds the big one, the big stone that makes him a millionaire. But like all casinos the odds are heavily stacked against him. This ground has been continually mined over the last thirty years and the big diamond finds have all but disappeared. Yet in this fragile state of grinding poverty and vain hope, sheer desperation drives the diggers to live the sorcerous existence of the addicted gambler. The diamond has cast its spell and almost everyone in Koidu has come under its influence.

Kono District , Sierra Leone Copy CRED Foundation, 2005

Into this lottery of madness steps The Peace Diamond Alliance. The problem is defined by the PDA very succinctly.

“To sustain the hard won peace Sierra Leone must address the fundamental problems that led to and sustained the war. Central among them is the issues of mismanagement of the diamond resource and the related lack of transparency and environmental degradation”.

Rough diamond is smuggled out of the country, finds it way into the international supply chain and ultimately into the cutting and polishing shops around the world where it becomes untraceable, thus tainting the entire market and consumer confidence in the diamond as whole. Diamond smuggling is big business, is illegal, fuels corruption, lines the pockets of racketeers and denies the government essential revenues for rebuilding and development work. This is why jewellers who wish to maintain the positive image surrounding diamonds must insist on the Kimberley Process that guarantees the diamond they buy is certified conflict free from mine to retail (1). To reinforce the fact I had an evening meal in Freetown with a Namibian who is consulting for the Russian mafia on the diamond system in Sierra Leone . Everyone is here hoping to make a fast buck and a fast get away.

The PDA in order to counter this corruption has set itself the task of developing a transparent, fair and safe local market. They are maximising the benefits to local miners, diggers and their communities by introducing systems that track the rough diamond from the mine to export through mobilising local surveillance at the mine thereby minimising smuggling, corruption and restoring confidence in the system as a whole. A diamond from the PDA is a clean diamond and represents the start of something we all hope will catch on around the country and the world.

Kono District , Sierra Leone Copy CRED Foundation, 2005

The PDA implements an impressive range of activities. Funding credit schemes for miners, buying diamonds that are certified by the Alliance to be sold as fair trade diamonds, procuring transportation and communications equipment for the ministry of mineral resources, training miners and diggers on the value of their production, addressing issues of child labour, educating the local community on developing alternatives to diamond mining and continuing to strengthen the infrastructure of the PDA itself and local institutions so they are more democratic and representative of the community. Here the assistance of USAID, Department for International Development (UK) and De Beers must be commended. They are adding valuable finance and expertise to ensure that the process is a long term success.

However this is only the beginning, for the PDA to build upon the excellent work they have done in the last two years in transforming the horror of the blood diamond story to one of peace and potential prosperity they will require a number of factors to emerge that are beyond their control. Firstly the Sierra Leone government must drastically improve their management of the diamond sector and put more resources into counter smuggling activities and bring the rule of law to bear upon those who are guilty. Secondly the country must remain peaceful. It is a tragic reality that almost everyone you speak to expects the conflict to return at some point in the future and it is here that the international community must step up the plate and follow through on their commitment not to abandon Sierra Leone and thirdly the issue of land reform needs to be addressed allowing miners rights and privileges over their own means of production. Currently the system is run by what amounts to a feudal lordship system where patrimonial tribal chiefs run the show and exercise total control over who does what and who will benefit from the diamonds that are found. The major beneficiaries of the current system are surprisingly the tribal chiefs!

With some of the mountain conquered and more to go the PDA has risen to the challenge and has started the journey towards developing a peace diamond. Perhaps the most significant contribution that the PDA has made to date is the fact that they are prepared to swim against the tide and plant a flag in the ground around which the local communities, private investors, governments, jewellery businesses and civil society groups may all rally. The PDA requires the diamond buying public to rise above the exquisitely polished rhetoric surrounding diamonds and to insist that the jewellery trade provide fair trade diamonds that offer peace and prosperity for everyone in the diamond supply chain. Through purchasing fair trade diamonds that seeks the common good for all humanity we can make this icon of beauty free from any hint of exploitation and corruption. For these reasons a Peace Diamond is essential and who knows, it may rewrite the tedious script that diamonds are only for the wealthy and beautiful.
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(1)Currently the system of warranties issued against diamonds only covers rough diamond movement across international borders. The system breaks down once the rough diamond is cut and polished and bought by retailers and consumers.