A
week after returning from a fact-finding mission for his Simmons Jewelry company,
Russell Simmons is facing criticism from film director Edward Zwick.
Zwick, who
helmed the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie Blood Diamond, implied that Simmons
is merely a public relations puppet for diamond companies. Simmons’
recently returned from a trip to South Africa and Botswanna after being invited
by the diamond industry’s Diamond Information Center. The
mogul concluded that the sale of blood diamonds has dropped to less than 1%, since
the Kimberley Process was introduced in 2003 to prevent the trafficking of the
illegal diamonds.During
the Blood Diamond premiere in Hollywood, Zwick noted Simmons’ figures
and questioned his support of the diamond industry in general. "I
find it embarrassing for Russell Simmons," Zwick told the New York Daily
News. "That’s a funky number. That number comes from diamonds that are
mined in countries that are ‘war-declared.’ Conflict diamonds are also mined in
countries where there is not a ‘declared war.’ If you want to know about conflict
diamonds, you don’t go to Botswana and South Africa. You go to Sierra Leone and
Angola. … Russell Simmons is being embarrassed." Simmons
has responded to Zwick’s comments and maintains that the film will scare
people away from purchasing legitimate diamonds. The mining process of the precious
stones have become profitable industries in some African countries.“This
is the arrogance of Warner Brothers pictures," Simmons told AllHipHop.com.
"They were selfish self-centered, greedy and hurtful to the indigenous people
of Africa. This messaging should have been changed after Nelson Mandela and other
African Presidents asked Warner Brothers to change it. Period. I am going to continue
to focus on the positive that can come out of this dialogue and work to help empower
black Africa.” Simmons
was referring to a letter South African President Nelson Mandela authored, reminding
Warner Brothers that some African countries were relying on the stones to rebuild
their war torn countries. The
Hip-Hop mogul’s review of the experience came across as positive as he concluded
that the diamond business has been a plus for poor residents whose lives have
been improved.
