Kadir van Lohuizen, Netherlands
DIAMOND MATTERS

In the 1990s I did covered the fighting in Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo), Sierra Leone and Angola – conflicts that were often dismissed as tribal wars, the final convulsions of the Cold War. However, they increasingly became conflicts over raw materials.

The Angolan and Sierra Leonean rebels who used the gems to buy weapons mostly controlled the diamond deposits. Governments became involved as well, and the terms ‘blood diamonds’ and ‘conflict diamonds’ were born.

Even after the Kimberly Agreement was signed at the end of 2002 by a large number of exporting and importing countries, which reduced smuggling and made the industry more transparent, working conditions remain appalling.

Very little of the enormous profits returns to the people. Mining companies receive big concessions, which improves control of the trade, but robs the local populace who are chased off their land and given little, if any, compensation. Also, the locals have always dug for diamonds and know little or nothing about farming and are thus unable profit from the riches under their feet. Society is threatened with meltdown.

The industry is under pressure. The South African company De Beers had, for decades, a monopoly of the diamond market and was able to dictate prices. But diamond stocks worldwide have turned out greater than previously thought, and the Israelis are now proving stiff competition. Given the large diamond reserves globally, a collapse in the market and tumbling prices are not inconceivable. Supermarket chains and online shops already undercut market prices. Synthetic diamonds are now virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Neither would the African countries benefit by a collapse in the industry. Tens of thousands there earn a living in diamonds - albeit a meagre one. The mineral resources of these disrupted countries give real hope for reconstruction and economic development, provided that it happens honestly, of course.

A year ago, I decided to return and follow the diamond trail from the mines to the ultimate consumer, in cooperation with the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa. This photo reportage examines the financing, working conditions, dealers and those who really profit from the industry.

Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR
Amsterdam, The Netherlands