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Friday, May 21, 2010 | 4:22am
Naomi Campbell Subpoenaed in War Crimes Probe Over Her Possession of A ‘Blood Diamond’ Gift
Wake Up Hip Hop! Your love of diamonds is still funding illegally traded conflict diamonds for arms. Blood is on your hands and around your neck.
@naomicampbell_ #conflictdiamonds #blooddiamonds
A really interesting story surfaced on the wires yesterday as it was reported that supermodel Naomi Campbell has been subpoenaed by a United Nations Judge to serve as witness in an investigation into war crimes committed by former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Prosecutors in the case believe Campbell received illegal uncut “blood” diamonds from the former leader during her trip to South Africa in 1997. Prosecutors hope Campbell’s testimony will be key to convicting Taylor who they believe traded arms and ammunition to rebels during Sierra Leone’s Civil War in exchange for those very diamonds.
Charles Taylor
The practice funded the rebel uprisings costing many their lives and was depicted in the 2006 Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou film “Blood Diamond.” In a motion filed Thursday, prosecutors say they want Campbell to testify about uncut diamonds Taylor allegedly gave to her in South Africa in 1997.
The violence surrounding the illegal diamond trade has made Campbell a reluctant witness at best who said through her lawyer that she is “concerned for her safety” and “did not want to involve herself in the case.”
Prosecutors have also subpoenaed actress and then fellow model, Mia Farrow who accompanied Campbell on the trip in which the pair were guest in the home of South African President, Nelson Mandela. Farrow sold Campbell out telling ABC News that Campbell described in great detail to her a late night encounter with two of the former Presidents advisers.
“She said during the night, some men had knocked at her door and she, half asleep, had opened the door and it was representatives of President Charles Taylor and that they had given her a huge diamond,” Farrow told ABC News. “We were like, ‘oh my gosh.’”
This is an area we don’t often talk about but perhaps need to make a bigger deal of especially with the Hip Hop industry essentially single-handedly fueling the diamond trade. Virtually every rapper now a days sports some gaudy chain virtually dripping with ice adorned with a diamond encrusted device to serve as the pendant. But those diamonds didn’t come cheap and the price paid by those whose land they were harvested from may have been the ultimate sacrifice.
The topic was the basis of Kanye West’s Remix of “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.” Becoming aware of the plight of children in West African nations who were being forced to mine conflict diamonds and die in civil wars financed by them, West recorded the remix in dedication to them and educate his audience about how rappers love for diamonds has essentially funded bloody warfare. Jay-Z who recorded the third verse for the song said:
“Good Morning! This ain’t Vietnam. Still, people lose hands, legs, arms for real/Little was known of Sierra Leone, and how it connect to the diamonds we own…”
While I don’t expect rappers to really give a shit nor expect them to tone down the bling or even be more conscious about the origin of their jewels I do hope that this wakes up at least SOME in the industry. There are rappers walking around with silly medallions and “Big Ass Chains” right now that essentially are tombstones of some nameless poor woman from Sierra Leone killed just so he could wear it. In the words of Spike Lee. WAKE UP!
FILED IN Editorials, Fashion, Honeys, Music, News
Great point, Juan. But as I clicked on Naomi Campbell’s image to read the story, I noticed that just to the right is the link to download a mixtape: “We’re No Saints.” On it, there is a pic of two young black males with guns, and bags of money. Soooo, what message is HN sending with that?. Because the reality in America is that hundres of people die every day due to the drug trade and its side effects (prostitution, robberies, etc). Not to mention the other ways families are negatively affected because of it. Now, this is not the first time I notice a visual of this kind in HN, and I always dismissed it as “part of the culture, doesn’t mean anything.” However, if you are going to make statements like the ones you make about blood diamonds(which I agree with wholeheartedly), then you look hipocritical, if you support “blood money.” The “we’re no saints” visual does as much, or more, damage to the “average” American youth because it glorifies the “by any means necessary” mentality of getting paid. So, if I have to hustle or kill to get the blood diamond, then so be it. Why should I struggle in high school and college, when niggas getting paid, living the life?!
Quality point. Let me digest this and get back to you with a more articulate response than I’m prepared to give right now.
I think you raise very important points. These are inconsistencies and contradictions that I struggle with each and every day. I think Highbrid Nation is contradiction in terms but it represents who we are.
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It reminds me of an early Common (at that time Common Sense) line:
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“They say signs of the end is near/
I wonder can I walk a righteous path holdin a beer”
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What we’ve tried to accomplish here is a more realistic ideal of the young black professional. This is a lifestyle blog so this debate belongs here just as much as political discussions on Obama policies, as Rihanna’s new look as the Fat Back Award does.
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Critics of Highbrid Nation have said we are hypocrits. I beg to differ. We address the same topics that any black man with a job that grew up in the Golden Age of Hip Hop may discuss throughout the course of the day on Facebook, around the watercooler or at the strip club with his boys. Its our lifestyle.
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Now to address your original point. I agree with you its a bit hypocritical but I think I’m ok with that. I personally don’t agree with the imagery. But at the same time I don’t speak for a Nation. Hell put me in the right setting and I’ll grove to some Souljaboy. That doesn’t mean I agree with what he’s done to my first love. Feel me? All I can say is I’ll work harder.
That’s fair. I agree that there are inconsistencies across the board, not just at HN. I, for example, hoot and holler when I look at the fatbacks. I also offer my opinion on the SMASH/PASS honeys. Yet, I just commented on another post that MY WIFE is the finest woman I’ve ever seen….I read several blogs, yet this is the only one in which I comment consistently. It is because of the balance and because of the contributors and other HN citizens, who seen like decent people. Thank you, guys and keep up the good work.
I feel you. I think HN represents where we are at currently. I agree we all need to make a conscious effort to minimize those inconsistencies but at the same time almost embrace them as real.
This topic of “Blood Diamonds”: is a touchy one because there are a lot of bloody hands. Western media loves to condemn Taylor, Mugabe, Amin, Ghadaffi and other African leaders. However, they fail to condemn the foreign policy or direct military contributions of European powers and/or the U.S. For hundreds of years, European countries have mined blood diamonds, stealing the riches out of African countries and murdering millions of Africans. They, with CIA help as well, put people in power who allow them to do whatever, as long as they can steal too. So, when someone like Taylor rises up to have his turn at the wheel, the media demonizes him. He is no worse than the last 10 leaders they’ve had, probably.