“Diamonds are a girl's best friend and a man's worst enemy” (Anonymous). This quote from an anonymous author has a much deeper meaning than it seems. Diamonds have long been associated with love, romance and other compassionate feelings. This is because we have been fascinated by what we see on television, which only shows the beautiful side of the jewel. The reality is that since we are so far from where most diamonds are mined, Africa, we have been separated from the struggles these people have waged to bring the diamond to its current level of prestige. In the 19th century, when the first diamond was discovered in South Africa, it was Africans who fueled the rapid growth of the industry by infiltrating the mines and also providing labor for the foreign owners. During the colonial period, African workers organized unions and advocated for better working environments for themselves and for future members of the African diamond industry workforce. It was also at this time that Africa became the largest producer of diamonds in history, mainly thanks to the De Beers group. Finally, although it appears that much of Africa's diamond industry is run by foreigners, some natives, like Tokyo Sexwale, have learned from past mistakes and are ensuring that the future of the The industry seems viable for Africans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIn 1867, the Eureka diamond was discovered by Erasmus Jacobs near Kimberley in South Africa. This discovery led to a massive influx of European foreigners eager to take advantage of the region's potential wealth. The number of Africans who came to visit the mine was far outnumbered by white European diggers, but their impact on the industry was far greater. The first to enter were the Griqua. The Griqua were a Europeanized African community that emerged from relations between the region's early Dutch settlers and indigenous peoples (Cleveland 40). Their entry into the mines inspired countless other Africans to try their luck in the excavations and led to the area being divided into specific claims. Claims were parcels of land owned by a certain person, and only that person could mine the area. However, not all colonies could afford their own claims, so many of them provided their services to white miners. The amount of work they gave these European claim owners would lead to an increase in diamonds discovered and put millions in the pockets of the claim owners while keeping wages to a minimum as many would work for just about nothing. doesn't matter at this point. Their willingness to work and pursue the opportunities presented to them allowed the industry to progress rapidly around the world and this would not have been possible without the influx of African labor into the Kimberley. The colonial period in Africa began in 1885 with the Berlin Conference. This was a meeting of European powers in Africa that essentially divided the country into territories. The main owners of the African subsidiaries were Germany, France, Portugal, Great Britain and Italy. However, it took more than just circling the part of Africa you wanted on the map to officially make it their possession. The country must demonstrate effective occupation or a sign that you actually livedthe earth and that you were ready to rule it. Once they occupied their territory, many countries opened mines and searched for gold for themselves. They employed many Africans, many of whom were migrants to the region. The migrants were natives who traveled to the excavation sites and signed contracts to work for a period of time on that land. At one point, they made up 80-85% of the mining workforce (Cleveland 125). The conditions these people had to work in were horrible and they were willing to fight for more rights in their workplace. One way to do this was to organize unions. A workers' union had people with similar complaints who could protest for a specific change in an organized way. They stopped until they got what they wanted, and it worked because without migrant workers doing the back-breaking tasks that white men wouldn't do, such as towing wheelbarrows full of dirt that covered the kimberlite deposits, mining had to be stopped until they got what they wanted. they came back. These strikes led to increased wages and respect for migrant workers. These unions have also helped raise the living standards of today's workers. Many companies now house their employees in decent living units, as opposed to the borderline "jails" they faced in the early days. Despite all the conflicts that arose due to disputes between indigenous Africans and their European settlers, the working relationship that developed between these two groups of people helped put Africa on the map, so to speak. Without the investments of people like Cecil Rhodes and the diamond monopoly known as the De Beers Group, Africa would be just an ant in the world of diamond mining. Rhodes invested almost $650,000 in a farm containing diamond deposits owned by the De Beer brothers, which became the second largest in terms of diamond yield. This is how the company that will eventually absorb countless others in the country will become the monopoly of the industry. Although monopolies are now illegal, at the time it was exactly what the country needed to become a thriving member of the world. De Beers played a leading role in promoting good business in Africa and working against those who were greedy. An example of this is the situation where the dictator of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, ended his country's business relations with De Beers. This made his stones more precious and more valued. To counter this, De Beers released a large quantity of similar stones from its reserves onto the market and reduced prices by 40%. This suppressed the rebellion and led De Beers to reserve jobs for "historically disadvantaged" groups or indigenous people. They offered higher level positions to the natives and inspired them with confidence. This helped build a relationship of trust between the company and Africans, which is still visible today as Mpumi Zikilala, originally from South Africa, was recently appointed to the company's board of directors. Without the De Beers Group's initiative to cultivate Africa's diamond deposits, Africa might still be finding its way to becoming a world leader through mining. Finally, as the African country settles down after the colonial era and seeks to learn from the successes and failures they endured, new leaders.