 Africa Current Issues Museum Unit Project World Studies

Darfur  Statement: The United States should send a peacekeeping force to Darfur to stop the genocide.  Agree or Disagree?  400,000 dead  2.5 million displaced  10,000 dying every month

AIDS  Statement- the United States should increase funding to Africa to stop the spread of AIDS.  Agree or Disagree?

AIDS Statistics  24.2 million people infected with HIV/AIDS by the end of  Botswana- 24.1% of people have HIV/AIDS  Lesotho- 23.1%  Swaziland- 33%  Zimbabwe- 20.1%  12.1 million children orphaned- the same number of children in the US west of the Mississippi River!  13,000 people dying per day worldwide  AIDS In Africa Reading  Read the article and take notes on reasons why the US should or should not send aid to Africa.

AIDS and the USA  In groups at your table: Imagine that the U.S. Department of State is holding a meeting to decide on its recommendation to the president about what to do about the AIDS crisis in Africa. The three main choices are:  A. Send unilateral foreign aid from the United States to the affected African countries.  B. Let the United Nations handle the problem and increase the U.S.'s contribution to the United Nations for this purpose.  C. Let the nations of Africa handle the problem.  Discuss each of the options.  Add additional options if the group thinks they are necessary.  Vote on which option is the best.  Be prepared to report to the class on the option the group chose and the reasons why the group believes it is the best option.

“Blood Diamonds”  Statement: The Kimberley Process is effective in stopping the trade of “blood diamonds.”  Agree or Disagree?

Easily Exploitable Resource  In areas such as Sierra Leone where alluvial, or river, mining allows easy access to quality rough diamonds, this artificially high price has encouraged rebels to take control of diamond mining areas in hopes of making a quick and substantial profit.  Rebel groups such as the RUF (the Revolutionary United Front), force civilians to mine for diamonds.

Diamonds Fund Conflicts  Rebel groups use the profits from the sale of diamonds, upwards of $300 million a year, to buy more small arms and supplies so that they can sustain their military endeavors.  In the past decade, over 6 million people from Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have become refugees after being forced from their homes by diamond fueled conflict.  Millions more have died in diamond related conflicts over the past decade.

Conflict Diamonds Increase Human Rights Abuses  Rebel cruelty in many conflict areas is well documented, and includes the abduction and training of child soldiers, amputation, abduction of males as diamond mine workers, and the use of rape as a tool of war.  Diamond profits allow for prolonged conflict and increased human rights abuses in conflict areas,  And despite UN arms embargoes and diamond certification schemes such as the Kimberley Process, the illegal sale of diamonds remains a profitable business.

Conflict Free Diamonds?  Because diamonds are small and easy to transport, it is difficult to track all diamonds leaving a given country.  Diamonds from conflict regions are often mixed with legitimate diamonds and certified as conflict free.  Though many diamond experts claim that one can examine a diamond and identify its origin down to the very mine or river from which it came, others in the industry claim that smuggling and mixing diamonds from different origins makes it almost impossible to know if the diamond indeed came from a conflict area.

Antwerp: The Diamond Capital  Once diamonds are smuggled out of a conflict region, they inevitably end up in Antwerp, Belgium, the diamond capital of the world.  Annually, half the world’s rough diamonds, an average of $29 billion dollars worth, pass through Antwerp. Other trading centers include New York, Tel Aviv, and Bombay.  Sorting experts then categorize and assign value to the diamonds before sending them to cutting and polishing centers to be prepared for resale.

The American Love Affair With Diamonds  Once diamonds have been cut and polished, they are sent to manufacturers who craft them into jewelry.  The United States is the largest market for diamond jewelry, buying up nearly half of the $56 billion in diamonds sold last year.  Almost all diamonds in the United States pass through the Diamond District in Manhattan before being sold to other retailers.

International Initiative: The Kimberley Process  In 2003, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a joint initiative developed by governments, the international diamond industry, and civil society, was introduced to help stem the flow of conflict diamonds.  The Kimberley Process is a voluntary initiative that requires participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are conflict free.  The diamond industry also voluntarily agreed to implement a System of Warranties, designed to help trace rough diamonds from mining to point of sale.

The Perfect Solution?  While the Kimberley Process has not solved the problem of conflict diamonds, it has reduced the amount of conflict diamonds sold into the open market.  Currently, violence funded by conflict diamonds is escalating in Cote D’Ivoire, proving there are serious loopholes in the Kimberley Process.  Recommendations to strengthen the Kimberley Process include increasing government oversight of the diamond industry and strengthening government enforcement policies.

Kimberley Process  Read the article and answer the questions at the end of the article.

Micro Credit  Statement: Microcredit is an effective way to reduce world poverty.  Agree or Disagree?

What is it?  Giving small loans ($25-$100) to the extremely poor to help jumpstart business. Known as “micro credit, micro loans, or micro finance.”  Led by Professor Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh  Split a loan of $26 amongst 42 workers ($0.62 per worker)  The workers spent this money on supplies to make a day’s worth of work weaving chairs, making pots, etc.  By the end of the first day the workers were able to earn enough money to pay back their loan and to buy supplies for the next day’s work.  Allows the extremely poor to start homegrown industries.

Women and Micro Loans  Nearly 80% of micro loans go to women. Why?  Women in most third world countries have little access to money and are usually unable to work because of their child- rearing duties.  Women are very eager for money to start businesses, therefore they are more interested in the loans than men,  Women have the skills necessary to start in-home businesses, such as cooking, sewing, etc. that men do not have.  Micro loans are best suited for these types of industry.  Women can make money and give it right back to their family for improved health care, food, etc.

More Examples  Women in Africa have used their micro loan money to buy cell phones  They travel village to village charging people who want to make calls on the phone  Using this money they pay off their loan, their cell phone expenses and still make profit to aid their families.  Micro credit/loans/finance has proven that even the poorest people in the world are ingenious and can make money.

However…  Some have began to criticize the micro credit theory saying that micro loans cannot provide what the poor truly need:  Clean water, more nutritious food, etc.  Although micro loans may raise the income of a poor family, they still do not escape poverty  Some businesses and banks have profited from micro loan programs. Is it for charity or profit?