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 | Tue, 10 Oct 2006 |
Posted: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 [miningmx.com] -- THE use of severed body parts is probably one of the advertising industry’s less acknowledged means of achieving what’s sometimes called in the sector “high recall scores”. But it appears to be working for Global Witness, a British non-governmental organisation that’s about to do what it does best: stir the pot. Adverts purportedly backed by Global Witness appeared in South African weekly business magazine Finweek on 22 June and showed a convincingly realistic ear that had been severed at the joint (see picture). “What did your diamond really cost?” asks the advert, which shows on closer examination that the lobe has a gem-bearing earring attached. It’s grotesque, and though the advert bears the livery of Global Witness, it caused a minor storm in Britain. “We’d only seen it in draft and hadn’t approved it,” says Alex Yearsley, a founder of Global Witness. It’s not typical of Global Witness to be so shrinking. After all, the organisation has, by dint of ambush tactics, probably done most to provoke a wide-ranging review of how De Beers’ mines distributes its African gems over the past seven years. Principally, Global Witness told the story of how warlords in diamond producing countries, such as Sierra Leone, sold unpolished gems to fund their warring activities. The consequent human rights abuses earned unpolished gems the sickening sobriquet “blood diamonds”. The campaign was a major headache for De Beers, which has been selling diamonds as the ultimate love token for generations. Diamonds that fund civil war now have the more delicate title of “conflict diamonds”. By 2000, De Beers had responded. It helped to found the “Kimberley Process” – a diamond authentication system that imposes checks and balances on the diamond trade. That it achieves by issuing certificates identifying the passage of rough or unpolished diamonds and excluding those nations from international trade that ignored the dictates of the Kimberley Process. That has most recently happened with Sierra Leone. Now due for a three-year review, the Kimberley Process is becoming the focus of renewed attention. In particular, Global Witness wants to identify the downstream diamond industry – polishers and cutters – for failing to support it. “No sooner do you set up a system than people attempt to subvert it,” says Yearsley. For example, I have been shown an allegedly faked Kimberley Process certificate that had been “issued” for a Tanzanian diamond mine. The current spate of media campaigning, this time supported by Global Witness, is being organised both in SA and internationally, says Yearsley. Expect more graphic advertising, including a perfectly manicured finger – severed again – around which a diamond-bearing ring has been placed. In a separate development, Global Witness has been consultant to the producers of Blood Diamonds, a Hollywood-backed film starring Leonardo di Caprio. The advent of the film, shot in Mozambique, has had some De Beers’ executives reaching for their worry beads, particularly as the company has thrown its weight behind the Kimberley Process – a factor Yearsley is prepared to acknowledge. “I’d say De Beers has done its fair share to make this work.” But the film is apposite for Global Witness, as it helps provide fresh momentum. “The film brings in the Kimberley Process. It will tell the truth,” says Yearsley. As for the three-year review of the Kimberley Process, preparations to make modifications are under way. Last week the World Diamond Council, including De Beers and two representatives from Global Witness, met in Gaborone to discuss progress so far.Free news alerts: click
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