Why does it take so long to recognize atrocities?

Rating: 9/10 (7 September 2007)

We have another film recognizing the atrocities committed in the African continent during the dark ages of violence and war which has followed the collapse of colonial rule. The massacres, ethnic cleansing and general upheaval, not to mention the general breakdown of law and order which have taken place in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Congo Republic, Rhodesia and Dafur, just to name a few, are only now becoming exposed via the medium of film. This film is a must see along with Hotel Rwanda and The Last King of Scotland.
The savage conflict in Sierra Leone, once part of Britain's West African colonial empire, with its forcible recruitment of child soldiers and killing and maiming of tens of thousands by lawless gangs of self appointed rebels and freedom fighters was reported at the time, but largely ignored by the rest of the world until several years had passed and it was safe to make a film about it. As they said in the film, TIA - this is Africa! Wrong - this is the chaos that follows when a superpower's imposed rule ends leaving behind a power vacuum.
The most interesting parallel in the film was that of the child soldier Dia, and Danny Archer, himself a child soldier, albeit a white one. Danny's parents had been murdered in the struggle in Zimbabwe, after white colonial rule had ended with a unilateral declaration of independence. Danny joined the army in South Africa and served in Angola, where he became a trained killer under the guidance of Colonel Coetze, just as Dia comes under the guidance of Colonel Poison. Neither Coetze nor Poison care about their young proteges, except for tuning them into emotionless killing machines. Coetze is now involved in diamond smuggling, and Danny is one of his field contacts.
Danny courts Solomon, who discovered and concealed a valuable diamond, because he wants to find and make money from the diamond. Solomon's search for his son is an distraction that he does not have time for. He meets the reporter, Maddy, and his reaction is that of a droplet of water in a hot frying pan, but eventually his eyes are opened and he comes to see how they are all being used by the diamond cartel, who do not even sell the diamonds which have destroyed so many lives, but lock them away in a vault to manipulate the price. The film also makes the point that we all contribute to the violence and slave labor when we buy the product.
The ending of the film offers hope for Solomon and Dia, but none for Danny who has not known anything but war and probably could never settle down to a quiet life.