Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

13
Introduction Diamond is carbon that has crystallised under intense pressure over a millions of years. These crystals may be thrown up during a volcanic eruption. Some land back inside the volcano. This forms so-called kimberlite: blue earth that contains diamonds. Other crystals spread out as a result of erosion and flowing water across a wide area, and can therefore be found immediately beneath the surface in river beds. In the 1990s I frequently worked as a photo journalist, reporting wars in Zaire (today’s Democratic Republic of Congo), Sierra Leone and Angola. These wars were often dismissed as tribal conflicts and a residue of the Cold War. However, it became increasingly clear that they were in fact struggles for raw materials. The Angolan and Sierra Leonean rebels controlled much of the diamond areas. They used the diamonds to raise funds to buy weapons. Governments also became involved in the hunt for gems. The term blood or conflict diamonds was born. Around that time I compiled a number of reports about the issue, although I was not able to show every aspect of the diamond trade without arousing the suspicions of the rebels and dealers. As various pressure groups sounded the alarm this began to effect the public perception of the trade. The industry found itself compelled to cooperate in implementing a certification system guaranteeing that only conflict-free diamonds would be traded. Public opinion and the potential damage to the diamond trade’s image forced most of the diamond importing and exporting countries to sign the Kimberley agreement in late 2002. This pact successfully reduced diamond smuggling and made the industry more publicly accountable. Today, since most of these African countries are now at peace, the origin of diamonds is less of an issue. In fact, working conditions are still shockingly bad. Despite enormous profits, little of this income reaches the population. Mining companies acquire huge concessions, allowing them to control the market, which robs local people of their livelihood. They are forced off their land with no or hardly any compensation. Moreover, digging for diamonds is all these people know; they have little or no skill as farmers. As a result, the local population does not benefit in any way from the wealth under their feet. Worse still, they are turned into outlaws. The social collapse is total. The alternative has to be ‘fair trade’ diamond industry. The industry is under pressure. For decades, De Beers, run by the Oppenheimer family, held a monopoly in the diamond market. They dictated the prices. But the world’s diamond stocks are more ample than was thought and the Israelis are emerging as powerful competitors. In the end, no one would benefit if the market were to collapse and prices tumbled, which could happen considering the huge potential supply. Supermarket chains and Internet traders already sell below market prices. Moreover, synthetic diamonds are now being made which are hardly distinguishable from the real thing. A year ago I decided together with the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa and West Africa Witness to return to the same African countries and to follow the diamond trail all the way from the mines to the consumer. The result is a photo reportage that investigates where the money goes, the conditions in which people work, the traders, and who actually profits from this industry. Kadir van Lohuizen Amsterdam 2005 From the mines to the jet-set Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo Miners on their way from Lucapa to Dundo, Angola Koidu, Sierra Leone Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo Koidu, Sierra Leone Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo 1

description

Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Transcript of Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Page 1: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Introduction

Diamond is carbon that has crystallised under intense pressure over a millions of years. These crystalsmay be thrown up during a volcanic eruption. Some land back inside the volcano. This forms so-calledkimberlite: blue earth that contains diamonds. Other crystals spread out as a result of erosion andflowing water across a wide area, and can therefore be found immediately beneath the surface in riverbeds.

In the 1990s I frequently worked as a photo journalist, reporting wars in Zaire (today’s Democratic

Republic of Congo), Sierra Leone and Angola. These wars were often dismissed as tribal conflicts and a

residue of the Cold War. However, it became increasingly clear that they were in fact struggles for raw

materials.

The Angolan and Sierra Leonean rebels controlled much of the diamond areas. They used the diamonds

to raise funds to buy weapons. Governments also became involved in the hunt for gems. The term blood

or conflict diamonds was born.

Around that time I compiled a number of reports about the issue, although I was not able to show every

aspect of the diamond trade without arousing the suspicions of the rebels and dealers.

As various pressure groups sounded the alarm this began to effect the public perception of the trade.

The industry found itself compelled to cooperate in implementing a certification system guaranteeing

that only conflict-free diamonds would be traded. Public opinion and the potential damage to the diamond

trade’s image forced most of the diamond importing and exporting countries to sign the Kimberley

agreement in late 2002. This pact successfully reduced diamond smuggling and made the industry more

publicly accountable. Today, since most of these African countries are now at peace, the origin of

diamonds is less of an issue.

In fact, working conditions are still shockingly bad. Despite enormous profits, little of this income reaches

the population. Mining companies acquire huge concessions, allowing them to control the market, which

robs local people of their livelihood. They are forced off their land with no or hardly any compensation.

Moreover, digging for diamonds is all these people know; they have little or no skill as farmers. As a

result, the local population does not benefit in any way from the wealth under their feet. Worse still, they

are turned into outlaws. The social collapse is total.

The alternative has to be ‘fair trade’ diamond industry. The industry is under pressure. For decades,

De Beers, run by the Oppenheimer family, held a monopoly in the diamond market. They dictated the

prices. But the world’s diamond stocks are more ample than was thought and the Israelis are emerging

as powerful competitors. In the end, no one would benefit if the market were to collapse and prices

tumbled, which could happen considering the huge potential supply. Supermarket chains and Internet

traders already sell below market prices. Moreover, synthetic diamonds are now being made which are

hardly distinguishable from the real thing.

A year ago I decided together with the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa and West Africa

Witness to return to the same African countries and to follow the diamond trail all the way from the

mines to the consumer. The result is a photo reportage that investigates where the money goes, the

conditions in which people work, the traders, and who actually profits from this industry.

Kadir van Lohuizen

Amsterdam 2005

From the mines to the jet-set

DiamondMatters

KKaaddiirr vvaann LLoohhuuiizzeenn

Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo

Miners on their way from Lucapa to Dundo, Angola

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo

11

Page 2: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Bula, Angola

Muangolongo, Angola

Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Sewa River, Sierra Leone

Miners being baptised, MbujiMayi, DR Congo Washing gravel, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Muangolongo, Angola

22

Page 3: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

The Mines

Thousands of people dig up the earth in this lunar landscape. Each

mine employs between ten and fifty workers. They are not paid, but

they get fed. First, metres of sand are excavated by hand, until

they reach the gravel layer. This is where the diamonds are found.

Mutual suspicion is rife: everyone watches each other. Everything

is hoisted up the steep banks in bags and then sieved. The licensee

keeps a sharp eye out lest anything of value disappear into a

mouth, nose or other orifice. When they find something, the value is

calculated immediately at the mine and everyone gets a share.

In fact the value is still quite low and the number of shares is high.

Agriculture is practically nonexistent here, since every piece of

land might contain a valuable treasure.

Large mining companies are increasingly buying up land. This

makes the work easier to organise, but for the miners it means

they have to leave the area, with hardly any compensation. They

have no ground to farm, and even if they had, none of them know

how. The landscape is turned upside down; rivers are diverted to

enable the beds to be scooped out.

Diving for diamonds in Cuango River, Angola MbujiMayi, DR Congo Lucapa, Angola

Sewa River, Sierra Leone Sewa River, Sierra Leone Kimberlite mine, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo Kimberlite mine, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Going home, Koidu, Sierra Leone

33

Page 4: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

The Trade

Diamonds found in the mine are generally brought to the open

market in the centre of the city. At first sight, it looks like any

other African market. But the piles on the table are diamonds,

and dealers are busy weighing on scales and exchanging wads

of cash. It is the small-scale dealers who buy at the mines and

sell the diamonds here.

The diamond offices on the main street are grubby affairs,

often with a sideline (in fake Nike trainers) to augment their

turnover. Many of these traders are also clergymen, which is a

lucrative business. You set up your own church and then your

loyal parishioners sell their diamonds to you. Everyone looks

forward to the day they will strike it rich. If fortune smiles, you

may one day walk out of the office with a hundred thousand

dollars. Often this money is immediately invested in a new off-

road vehicle and luxury clothes for him and her. The money soon

evaporates and the search begins anew.

The weight and value of what is bought and sold is officially

recorded each day. Everything is noted down. This is necessary

in order to obtain a Kimberley certificate. Of course a valuable

stone may occasionally fall on the ground and disappear from

the circuit.

At a mine worker’s burial, MbujiMayi, DR Congo Cafunfo, Angola

Diamond market, MbujiMayi, DR Congo Diamond market, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Diamond market, MbujiMayi, DR CongoCafunfo, Angola

Mine-workers’ village that has been burned down, Bakwa Bowa, DR Congo

44

Page 5: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Export and Trade

The capital cities are the final trading stations before

the gems leave the country. All roads lead here. The

number of diamonds is huge, and the sums exchanged

stupendous.

To be allowed to export, a trader has to be meticu-

lously correct. Weight, export value, everything has to

be in order, and checked by an official at the certifi-

cation office.

The stones are rated according to the four c’s:

colour, carat, clarity and cut. This determines the

eventual value of the stone. The dealer’s stated

export value is checked for accuracy. If everything is

okay, the diamonds receive a Kimberley certificate

indicating that they are conflict-free.

MbujiMayi, DR Congo

MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Diamond dealer, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Sorting diamonds, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Diamond dealer, Cafunfo, Angola

Cafunfo, Angola

Party at a diamond dealer’s home, MbujiMayi, DR CongoEvangelique de Témoins du Christ church, MbujiMayi, DR Congo

55

Page 6: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Antwerp

The flights from Africa arrive at Brussels’

Zaventem airport early in the morning.

Diamond couriers invariably carry their

stones with their hand luggage. For customs

officials it is almost impossible to know

whether all the diamonds are declared.

The stones and the paper work are vetted

in the customs office, and transferred to

another courier who takes them to the

Antwerp World Diamond Center. There they

are piled on trolleys in the building’s

brimming cellar. The diamonds are checked

against their provenance certificate and

weight, and whether the value corresponds

with the record.

Not long ago, there were fifteen thousand di-

amond workers in Antwerp, today there are

no more than three hundred. The work has

moved to low-wage countries such as India

and China. Only the most expensive

diamonds are polished in Antwerp, when

labour is a negligible cost. Diamond polishing

and cutting is largely a Jewish industry.

MbujiMayi, DR Congo

Removing diamonds from the safe, Kinshasa, DR Congo

Certifying diamonds, Kinshasa, DR Congo

Exporting from Kinshasa airport, DR Congo

Diamond exchange, Antwerp

Antwerp

Diamond courier, Zaventem airport, Brussels

Diamond district, Antwerp

‘Boiling’ the diamonds, Antwerp

66

Page 7: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

India – Surat

Surat is an industrial city in the state of

Gujarat, around 250 kilometres north of

Bombay. The last couple of years a new,

explosive industry has emerged:

diamonds. Almost a million people work

here as cutters, polishers, or dealers.

The numerous workshops are located in

huge residential blocks where men squat

on the ground in small soot-filled rooms.

They sit in groups of four around a

turning disc on which they press a steel

holder. Every ten seconds they look

through a magnifying glass at the rough

diamond held in the tip of the holder.

Each factory employs between ten and a

hundred workers from the countryside,

including many children even today. They

live in rooms which they can only afford

by sharing with other workers, while

some live in the factory itself. They

return home once a year.

A twelve-hour working day may seem

excessive, but the fifty-USD a month

wage is not bad by Indian standards and

makes up for much.

Lunch at the factory, Surat, India

Surat, India

Surat, India Polishing disc, Surat, India Diamond market, Surat, India

Lunchtime, Surat, India

Surat, India Surat, India Surat, India Surat, India

Surat, India

0.05 carat, Surat, India

77

Page 8: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

New York – Amsterdam – Paris

The United States is still the largest market

for diamonds. Eighty-three percent of

American brides insist on a diamond ring,

for which American bridegrooms paid out

almost 4.5 thousand million dollars in 2004.

Although the heart of this trade is on 47th

Street, the most exclusive jewellers are

located elsewhere. Here the wealthiest

clients visit the showrooms by appointment

to make their purchases.

Amsterdam was the centre of the diamond

world until the 1920s. Because of the

unfavourable tax climate the industry moved

south, to Antwerp. However, Amsterdam

remained a centre for the retail trade.

Here, large so-called factories pretend to

their visitors that cutting and polishing still

takes place. Actually, they are tourist

attractions that draw hordes of customers

each day, tempting them to buy finished

gems. Among the best clients are the

increasingly wealthy Asian tourists.

Yet Amsterdam lacks the grandeur of the

Place Vendôme in Paris. This is where the

most exclusive diamond dealers are located.

Their clients include models and actresses.

Always good for promotional campaigns

and advertising.

New York

New York

Polishing, New York Polishing, New York Jet-set party, London Jet-set party, London

Jet-set party, LondonPlace Vendôme, Paris

New York Amsterdam Jeweller, Paris

The photographic exhibition 'Diamond Matters' was created in cooperation with the Netherlands

institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) / Fatal Transactions and West Africa Witness (WAW).

The exhibition was made possible by the financial support of Novib, Care, Stichting DOEN, NCDO,

Plan, FNV Mondiaal, Kleurgamma, Development and Peace and the EU.

Exhibition realised by Teun van der Heijden - Heijdens Karwei

The contents of this exhibition are the sole responsibility of the Fatal Transactions campaign and can under no

circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

88

Page 9: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Agalula Tshimanga (52)Bakwa Bowa, DR of Congo

‘I sieve the gravel six days a week. I work for

myself. My family is here too. The problem is,

I hardly ever find a thing.’

Denis (27), Paulo (30), Joao (28), José (27)

Angola

‘We live in Lucapa, and walk 28 kilometres

every day to Chibulo and back. That’s where

the mine is where we work.’

Lingode (25)Angola

‘I come from the Democratic Republic of Congo,

but I work here in Bula in Angola. I work on a

diving platform. We dive into the river for dia-

monds. I operate the compressor that provides

oxygen.’

Ishmael Nyaka (34)Sierra Leone

‘I was born in Koidu. When war broke out, I fled

to Bo. At the end of 2003 I came back. I’m a

mine worker. It’s no good here, there are no

social services. I get no money, only food. When a

diamond’s found, we share the money.

AA

Page 10: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Kalenga Lukasa (13), Mbala Lukasa (19), DR Congo

‘We are brothers and live in Bakwa Bowa. We

arrive each morning at the mine at 7 AM and

go back home at 7 PM. We dig for ourselves,

we don’t go to school.’

Sheka Kamara (18)Sierra Leone

‘I’ve been a diamond worker in the Sewa River

for a year. I stay underwater at a depth of ten

metres for two hours at a time. It’s pretty cold.

The air comes through a diesel compressor.’

Mary Kangbo (35)Sierra Leone

‘I was born in Bo and came to Koidu in 1973.

During the war I fled back to Bo. I’m a licensee,

but things aren’t going well. I need an investor.

I have about fifty boys here digging for me.

They get food.’

Domingos Papa Seko (35)Angola

‘I come from Malange originally. I’ve been a

mine worker since 1992. During the war I

was sent to Bula as a soldier. I’ve been here

since then. I sieve the gravel that comes from

the mine.’

BB

Page 11: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Selyo (34)DR of Congo

‘I’m a trader in MbujiMayi. Business is good,

I’ve just bought a new BMW 4WD. In a moment

I have to go to Kinshasa for business, with my

bodyguard.’

Pastor Mbaya Kafui (42)DR of Congo

‘I’m a diamond trader here in MbujiMayi. I’ve

been pastor too for the past eleven years. I set

up my own church. There are three services a

week, and 10,000 people come to them, and

before the service or after it they sell me the

diamonds they’ve found.’

Mbuli Molulu (50)DR of Congo

‘I work with customs at Kinshasa airport.

I verify goods for export. This is a bag of

diamonds worth $ 3 million. It’s about to go

on the plane.’

Omer Tshiayanga (34)DR of Congo

‘I was born here in MbujiMayi. Eighteen years

ago I started as a small diamond trader, and

I used to go to the bush to buy. Now I’ve got

three offices in town and a lot of cafés. The

people who sell to me come to my cafés too.

I’ve got two wives and three cars.’

CC

Page 12: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

Yijay Choudry (35) India

‘I’m the manager here in Mandvi, a village out-

side Surat. Each worker polishes a different facet

of the diamond. Before they pass it on to the next

worker, I check that it’s been done

right. I have three children.’

Yogesh (13)India

‘I come from a village far away from here. I live

here in Surat with an uncle. I cut diamonds. I

start at eight o’clock in the morning and work

till eight o’clock at night. I earn Rs 3,000 [$ 65]

a month. I go home to my parents once a year.’

Philippe SchaefferParis

‘I’m vice-president of one of the largest

jewellers in the world. We started off in

Beverly Hills. All our jewels are designed

here. Clients usually come by appointment.

They rarely buy at once. They go away and

think about it and then they come back.’

Eddy VleeschdragerAntwerp

‘I’m a diamond dealer here in Antwerp. My

father was a diamond worker in Antwerp;

there aren’t many of them left now. We import

diamonds only from De Beers. This is a ten-

carat diamond, it’s nearly perfect; it’s worth

about $ 104.000’

DD

Page 13: Diamond Matters Kadir van Lohuizen Documentary Photography

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A B C D

1

2

3

4 5

6

8

A

B C

D

7

1 2 A 3 4 B 5 6 C 7 8 D

1 2 A 3 4 B 5 6 C 7 8 D