A Review of the Movie ``BLING’’
By Tracy Gibson
The bloody and
ruthless hurtfulness of Sierra Leone’s
civil strife over diamonds gives way to authentic concern by rap artists in ``Bling,’’ a current documentary
depicting part of that African nation’s diamond business ( the mostly seamier
side).
How Africans from Sierra Leone are hurt by the export of
the shiny hard stones is detailed – especially how Black children’s lives and
African villages are impacted in mostly negative ways. Physical violence is graphically depicted in
this film so please view it before you allow any children under 15 to watch
this.
Early in the film we
see showy rap celebrities strutting and flashing the expensive rocks in front
of the public, but as the film progresses, the rap artists ( one of whom is of
European decent ) see the result of the violence and want to and do improve on
their values and ethics regarding the violence surrounding the diamond trade in
Africa.
How the graphic suffering
of Africans can change minds is at the core of this film. One sever weakness of
the film was not to examine how BLACK Spirituality, positive BLACK religious
expressions and positive religious experiences among Black Africans and African
Americans interplays in good Ways with the diamond trade. Such positive experiences and expressions
have helped make things fairer, more balanced and a whole lot less violent on
the Black continent.
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