Jarrett

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__http://wimmerhg.wikispaces.com/Africa+Leadership+Debate+-+SP13__

[|__http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/zimbabwe/__]

1. Character: Desmond, a former diamond miner from Zimbabwe.

2. Country: I come from Zimbabwe. Our nation is rich in diamonds, with many diamond fields including the Marange diamond fields. This makes up a very large section of our economy, and is our primary export. The government, through the military and police, control these diamond fields, and force people into slave labor to mine the diamonds. They kill any trespassers, and torture and beat the workers. The profits of the mines are reaped only by the government, who use the money to serve their own interests and oppress the people.

3. I was a diamond miner in the Marange diamond fields before the government came. When the soldiers came, they killed many of the miners, and forced the rest, including myself to work for them. Conditions are absolutely brutal back at the mines. My people are worked to death, if they aren’t first shot by the army. Many more are killed when our poorly built mines collapse, trapping the miners inside. I had to do horrible things to escape those mines and stand before you today to make you aware of the blood diamond trade.

4. Kimberley Process, ICC, and God.

5.  1.The safety and rule of law in Zimbabwe is practically non-existent, supported only by the facade of security surrounding the military and police forces. National security is higher than other factors, but only because of the strict military and police crackdowns. To secure the region, this money would definitely be a great deal of help.

 2. The rights of the people are trampled upon in Zimbabwe, being forced to mine diamonds under inhumane conditions. Willing participation in economic endeavors is very low. However, gender equality is higher than in some countries. With the money from the Mo Ibrahim foundation, we could raise awareness for the horrible atrocities committed by the government, and endeavor to end them.

 3. With Zimbabwe’s rich supply of diamonds, you would think that we would be an economic powerhouse. This is true for the government, who profit from the blood of the people. The miners themselves receive little to no pay, and are very poor. Zimbabwe’s business environment is obviously very poor, considering harsh government profiteering and the near constant threat of death. The money could be used to improve the economic conditions of the miners.

 4. Surprisingly, Zimbabwe is coming up in terms of human development, excluding welfare. This is likely to be because of the health of the government. The skewed health and education numbers are only high because of the wealthy government. In reality, the people are suffering under poor conditions, and the average age expectancy is 50. Hopefully, the money could go to improving living conditions and raising the life expectancy of the common man.