Comparison of the Movies Blood Diamond and the Last King of Scotland

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Many parts of Africa have a long and bloody past, stemming from political and/or economic problems. When numerous organizations lay claim to power and wealth, such as what occurred in Sierra Leone and Uganda, it can lead to an extensive and bloody civil war. This summer I watched two movies about modern geopolitical problems in the aforementioned countries, Blood Diamond and The Last King of Scotland. I believe that Blood Diamond had a distinct set of economic conditions, such as trade, labor systems, and the interaction of economic systems. The Last King, on the other hand, focused more on a group of political influences, including revolutions and oppressive political structures. Blood Diamond features a large pink diamond found in work camps set up by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in war-torn Sierra Leone. Throughout the movie, numerous economic and trade aspects are mentioned. A diamond smuggler named Archer is shown carrying diamonds across the border into Liberia. From there, the illegal diamonds get mixed into the legal supply and sent to a company in New York, who then hoards the diamonds to control supply and demand. This results in the consumer being forced to pay a higher price, leading to higher profit. The labor is provided by the economically desired yet morally wrong practice of forced labor camps. The RUF, a name which suggests a certain “by the people, for the people” mentality, instead enslaves poor fisherman and farmers. The children are essentially brainwashed into being child soldiers, much like the recent events surrounding the dictator Kony. The methods of creating a labor force featured in this movie are repeated throughout history; particularly the method of using slave labor to obtain and sell valuable commodities. Even in the civilized country of America we’ve gone through a similar stage, with the African American slaves all the way
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