Ebook: Stones of Contention: A History of Africa's Diamonds
Author: Todd Cleveland
- Tags: Natural Resource Extraction Energy Mining Industries Business Money Africa Algeria Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Nigeria South Sudan Zimbabwe History World Civilization Culture Expeditions Discoveries Jewish Religious Slavery Emancipation Women in
- Series: Africa in World History
- Year: 2014
- Publisher: Ohio University Press
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- epub
Africa supplies the majority of the world’s diamonds, yet consumers generally know little about the origins and history of these precious stones beyond sensationalized media accounts of so-called blood diamonds.
Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa’s diamonds, from the first stirrings of international interest in the continent’s mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent.
The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africansfrom informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich statesand their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and compexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies.
Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa’s diamonds, from the first stirrings of international interest in the continent’s mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent.
The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africansfrom informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich statesand their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and compexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies.
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