2005

Fatal Transactions member Medico International visited its project partner (Amputees and War Wounded Association) in Sierra Leone, to talk with them about strategies of reparations - also from the diamond industry.

On October 21st 2005 the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation will launch the photo exhibition Diamond Matters in the Watervall Mall in Rustenburg. People from the extractive industry, local government officials and other business people from Rustenburg will be invited at the opening ceremony.

Twenty civil society organisations from the Peace, Principles and Participation (PPP)-network signed a joint declaration to "work together together for a more sustainable and just resource exploitation in Southern Africa".

Diamond Matters follows the route of a diamond; from Africa via India to the West. It shows the dangerous alluvial mining in Sierra Leona, the poor working conditions of the diamondcutters in Surat, the jewish traders in Antwerp and finally the rich customers in cities like New York.

July 2005 - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more then 3 million people have died in wars since 1998. Paradoxically, the main reason for their deaths is the incredible richness of the country in terms of its natural resources.

June 21st 2005 - The answer I get to the question posed at the beginning of most interviews is short: "nothing changed, really". I'm in Bukavu, a town in South-Kivu, a province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, about 1,400 kilometers from Kinshasa, the transitional government seems far away.

Berlin- June 10th to12th - During the Youth Festival in Berlin many visitors were caught smugling raw diamonds. By crossing the water they tried to sell these precious stones at the gates of the festival. Most of them were not aware of the link between these practices and civil wars.