International Relations
Name: ___________________
Blood Diamond (2006)
Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story
of Danny Archer - an ex mercenary from Zimbabwe - and Solomon Vandy - a Mende fisherman.
Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in
a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for
smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the
diamond fields - has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy
Bowen, an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer,
the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family
and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.
From imdb.com
1. What human rights issues were illustrated in the film? What international laws are in
place to stop or prevent those abuses?
2. Do you think the violence depicted in the film is necessary to accurately portray the
situation in Sierra Leone in 1999?
3. After the RUF burns Solomon’s village, they chop off the hands of the villagers. What
is the significance of this action? What does it symbolize?
4. The film began and ended in Antwerp, Belgium. How did events in Belgium relate to
events in Sierra Leone?
5. Why did Danny Archer become involved in the conflict diamond trade?
6. In the beginning of the film, all Danny seems to care about is himself. At the end of
the film, however, he is willing to die to protect Solomon. What prompted Danny’s
change of heart?
7. When Danny talks to Benjamin, the school teacher, Benjamin says that he wants to
believe all people are basically good, but his experience tells him otherwise. Danny
replies that people are just people. What do you think he means by this statement?
8. At the end of the film, Solomon comes face to face with Captain Poison, the RUF
commander responsible for forcing Solomon into slavery and turning his son, Dia, into
a child soldier. Captain Poison says that Solomon might think he’s the devil, but it is
only because he lives in hell. In what ways is Captain Poison a product of his
environment and in what ways is he a product of his choices?
9. For each character in the film, diamonds represent a different idea or symbol. Captain
Poison, for example, sees the pink diamond as his ticket to a better life. What do
diamonds represent to each of the characters?
10. What tactics does the RUF use to turn children into soldiers?
11. All of the characters are changed by events they have witnessed. How does each
character respond to the conflict around him or her?
12. Maddy, the journalists and other foreign players, such as aid workers, struggle with
reporting what they see, doing their duty, and actually helping individuals in need. They
often fall prey to an “us” vs. “them” attitude. How does the film deal with the idea of
“the other”?
13. Though the film focuses on the devastation of war, it also deals with reconciliation,
rehabilitation, and hope. What are some specific scenes that deal with these topics?
How can the country begin to reconcile and recover from the effects of war?
From: www.amnestyusa.org/education
International Relations
Name:
___________________
Blood Diamond: Personal Responsibility
At first glance, the lives of the characters in Blood Diamond may seem to be completely
dictated by forces that are outside their control. It is difficult to talk about issues of personal or
collective repsonsibility when the entire community is fractured and ravaged by war. How then
can an individual in a conflict situation take personal responsibility to prevent human rights
abuses? How can an individual help to heal a broken community so that the community can
take action?
In order to begin to answer these questions, one needs to understand the external forces which
limit or affect the choices available to the individual. Then, one must examine how individual
choices or actions can relate back to the larger external forces to create change or limit change.
During the film, you will be tracking one character and noting how certain external forces or
factors affect that character. Think about what may have CAUSED the external force, what the
RESULTS/EFFECTS are of that force in general, and finally how it IMPACTS your assigned
character.
CHARACTER: _____________________________
War in Sierra Leone
Diamond Industry
Responsibilities (Self, Community, etc)
Actions of Others
Main Character List: Solomon Vandy. Danny Archer. Maddy Bowen. Dia Vandy. Benjamin (teacher).
Captain Poison (RUF commander). Colonel Coetzee (Archer’s mercenary boss).
Others: Jassie (Solomon’s Wife). Cordell Brown (works for the Colonel). Ambassador Walker. Van de
Kaap (head of diamond company, employs the Colonel secretly). M’Ed (bartender).
Places/Terms to Know: RUF (Revolutionary United Front). SIERRA LEONE: Shenge (Solomon’s village),
Freetown (capital), Kono (diamond-rich district). GUINEA: Conakry. RHODESIA (Zimbabwe).
KIMBERLEY, South Africa.
Afrikaners (white descendants of Dutch settlers in southern Africa).
Name: __________________
Blood Diamond: Causes, Effects, Impact
Causes of External
External Factor
Factors
Results/Effects of
Character Impact &
External Factor
Choices
War in Sierra Leone
Diamond Industry
Responsibilities
Actions of Others
Name: __________________
Blood Diamond: Causes, Effects, Impact
Causes of External
External Factor
Factors
War in Sierra Leone
Diamond Industry
Responsibilities
Results/Effects of
Character Impact &
External Factor
Choices
Actions of Others
Name: __________________
Blood Diamond: Character Responsibility
At first glance, the lives of the characters in Blood Diamond may seem to be completely
dictated by forces that are outside their control. It is difficult to talk about issues of personal or
collective repsonsibility when the entire community is fractured and ravaged by war. First, we
looked at the external forces which limit or affect the choices available to the individual. Next,
we must examine how individual choices or actions can relate back to the larger external forces
to create change or limit change.
CHARACTER: ________________________________________
Evidence for product of
Evidence for product of CHOICES
ENVIRONMENT/EXTERNAL FACTORS
QUESTION:
Which do you think is the stronger argument and why? How does this
connect to the debate on whether people are naturally good or not? EXPLAIN:
Name: __________________
Blood Diamond: Character Responsibility
At first glance, the lives of the characters in Blood Diamond may seem to be completely
dictated by forces that are outside their control. It is difficult to talk about issues of personal or
collective repsonsibility when the entire community is fractured and ravaged by war. First, we
looked at the external forces which limit or affect the choices available to the individual. Next,
we must examine how individual choices or actions can relate back to the larger external forces
to create change or limit change.
CHARACTER: ________________________________________
Evidence for product of
Evidence for product of CHOICES
ENVIRONMENT/EXTERNAL FACTORS
QUESTION:
Which do you think is the stronger argument and why? How does this
connect to the debate on whether people are naturally good or not? EXPLAIN:
Causes of External
External Factor
Factors
- East/West tensions
War in Sierra
- Rebel groups’
Leone
Results/Effects of
Character Impact &
External Factor
Choices
-Fractured society
Example: Benjamin
(teacher) begins a
struggle for power
rehabilitation school
after the withdrawal
& hides child
of colonial powers
soldiers
-
Diamond Industry
-Smuggling/illegal
Consumerism/market
diamond trade
economy
-Extended conflict
-Regulations of
-Natural resource
natural resources
exploitation
(UN Sanctions)
-Occupation
Responsibilities
-Be in dangerous
demands
situations
-Family demands
-Stand to lose
-Country situation
family
-Swept up in war
-Individual beliefs
Actions of Others
-Change or no
-Individual
change in personal
experiences
beliefs
-Affects your
actions for good or
bad