An Eye-Opener For A Young College Student

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2019)

This film was eye-opening for me, especially as a young college student born in 2000 when civil conflicts were still prevalent in Africa. During the 1990's, owning, selling, and moving diamonds in Western Africa were seen as the pinnacle for success for any ordinary man willing to take the risk. Blood diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds, destroyed villages, cities, and communities through gangs or mafias with the main goal of hunting down the stones. Set in Sierra Leone off the West Coast of Africa, the film Blood Diamond captures the raw, horrific, and inhumane violence that took place during their civil wars. Children were recruited to arm weapons and trained to kill. Tens of thousands of innocent women and children were murdered during this time period when blood diamonds were at their peak for sparking conflict. This past semester in college, I was able to learn about what global challenges are, and how we can create solutions for them. The definition of global challenges resembles this idea: the major issues within our planet are so large and complex that not only one institution or force can address the issue properly. A collection of causes coming together, synthesizing information, and creating a coherent mission statement for a solution is required to attend to a global issue. Examples of global challenges include, wastes, food management, climate change, global finance, the internet, and the list goes on. These issues require maximum efforts from governments, states, nations, and powerful men and women. This newly acquired knowledge has affected me in many ways. I now have a broader world view, and better understanding of the world around me. I am able to correctly identify what is a true concern for a region while also understanding the scale of that issue. I have learned to write effectively on the problems that we face as humans, and the possible solutions that can come from them. I found that I was not as aware as I once was, but now I have a stronger thirst for knowledge than I did before. I am also learning that the more knowledge you gain, the more power you have in discussions and catching people's claims that may not be true or well supported. Many global challenges related to the Seven Revolutions are revealed throughout the film. Diamonds, obviously, can be considered a resource - revolution 2. Many of the diamonds found in Sierra Leone were illegally exported and integrated into the flow of legal diamonds and into the world market. Many middle men will profit down the line because of how their processes operate, creating conflicts if deals are not done properly. Governance, revolution 7, plays a large role in Sierra Leone's economic downfall and corruption. Terrorist groups take entire cities at a time while the state's military infantry struggles to gain a single victory against them. This film functions as a great educational tool for learning of the events that occurred before my lifetime, and the importance of this knowledge. This films adds to my motivation for providing medical help to the people of Africa and other areas of the world. My passion for missionary work was strengthened from what I saw in this accurate depiction. I plan to do all that I can to abstain from adopting a completely Americanized culture and strive for diversifying my life, meeting new people, and contributing to the overall global health of less fortunate communities.