The Kimberley Process Is A Joke. Just Ask De Beers.

(Note: Links in orange provide supporting articles.)

"T.I.A - This Is Africa"

The acronym reverberated cynicism within me as I left the cinema.

Yes, I am talking about the current box-office hit Blood Diamond. Prior to this, terms like "Kimberley Process" and "conflict diamonds" certainly didn't make dinner conversation on most tables. Does it take a commercial movie with a Hollywood nod for the world to sit up and take notice? Must a mugshot of an alluring Leonardo Dicaprio entice the masses into acknowledging Africa's existence?

I was deeply affected by the indelible imprint the movie had unconsciously left behind.

To its credit, the film heightens public awareness towards the presence of conflict diamonds filtering from the mines of Africa to glittering showcases in pompous malls.

However, it stamps a misconception as the credits roll - that the Kimberley Process is an effective measure against the harnessing of blood diamonds.

For starters, according to the official Kimberley Process Certification Scheme website, the KPCS is "a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - rough diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments."

The Kimberley Process Working Group on Monitoring is mandated to monitor and assess implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme by all Participants. The Working Group on Monitoring is composed as follows:

• Chair: European Community
• Assistant: Israel
• Members: Canada, Central African Republic, India, People's Republic of China, Russian Federation, South Africa, United States, World Diamond Council, Global Witness/Partnership Africa Canada.

In addition, the Russian Federation assumed duties of the Chair of the KP Participation Committee in January 2006. Russia's long lineage lacks credibility. Currently with former KGB hardliner Putin in power, the Kremlin's recent antics against Georgia & Ukraine only perserve this unflattering trend.

Botswana assumed duties of the Kimberley Process Chairman and the KP Secretariat in 2006. Juxtapose that against the fact that diamonds account for 33% of the GDP of Botswana. Conflict of interest, anyone?

For good measure, the international community, including the UN General Assembly and Security Council, and the World Trade Organisation, have all recognised (read: not necessarily translating into actual action) the importance and effectiveness of the KPCS.

The diamond cartel, De Beers, has been the leader in supporting and adopting the Kimberley Process since November 2002 - an irony considering that De Beers monopolizes and controls the industry's demand & supply by stashing diamond deposits away from the market. This conveniently creates the fallacy of a diamond's rarity and romance, much to the layman's economic chagrin but a delightful cash cow to the glitterati players.

Aside from this, the foil to Leonardo's character in the movie is a journalist. Naturally, the saga surrounding Janine Roberts, De Beers & the BBC comes to mind. For the uninitiated, De Beers pressured BBC to remove its journalist Janine Roberts from the production of a film on the diamond empire. Compounding this was the violent sexual assault against Janine Roberts and her life hung critically by a thread. I leave you to feast your eyes on the accompanying article here.

Drawing from this avalanche of knowledge, I cannot help but feel utterly useless after viewing the film. Aside from the jostling of emotions, what can I, an individual do aside from boycotting diamonds?

It is easy to digress and indulge in a self-righteous babble coated in global incantations.

Curtailing idealistic notions, however, I must admit that there is little to be done against the billion-dollar industry. Supply will continue to exist alongside demand - that is the natural law of economics. Exploitation will remain rampant. Like the proverbial sacrificial lamb, Africa will continue to languish in poverty and violence ensued from diamond mining.

As such, the sight of three guffawing men as I exited the cinema sends a stark reminder that for all the rage against De Beers, the Kimberley Process and the manipulative public relations machine, the greatest evil is steeped in human apathy.