Controversial artist Kanye West has always tried to make his point known, no matter if he has to be disrespectful or explicit in his illustrations on that topic. So it was no real surprise when he chose to focus his energies on revealing to the American public the horrors that were happening that had a direct connection to the beloved diamond stone. West's 2005 music video “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” shows the corrupt underground diamond trade in the African country, Sierra Leone. From this groundbreaking video, West showed the devastated lives of those who worked on the mining rivers. However, further investigation into the issue of diamond workers in Sierra Leone revealed the true source of the situation, a violent conflict between the government and rebel leaders. Due to this conflict the entire country was thrown into a downward spiral. This downward spiral ultimately led people to want the conflict to end and for the country to unite again. The people of Sierra Leone want to forget the events that occurred during the civil war, however the more we look and try to learn from what happened, the better we prepare for the future. West's video depicts only one side of the multi-faceted diamond struggle in Sierra Leone, however on this side the audience is encouraged to research more into the conflict itself and uncover the truth behind the diamonds we love so desperately. the narrative of a child worker in a diamond mine begins, the river begins to speak. The narrator begins by recounting the long hours of work in diamond mining and how they are under the "...watchful eyes of the soldiers..." who watch the children extract with their load... in the middle of the paper.. ...violent and clandestine culture of diamond workers. These workers were treated terribly and were often exploited for their labor by the rebel army so that the army would have more weapons to fight the Sierra Leone government. However, when it comes to the real issue, the rebel army is the center of all problems that arise, including child workers and soldiers. The army was one of the main reasons why the civil war in Sierra Leone was so violent. There was nothing to stop them from doing what they wanted and the diamond industry was seen as a source of income to fund themselves against the government. However, despite all the money and power they had, the rebel army was defeated and the government was re-established, with order and democracy guiding the new leaders' reign. Works Citedalskdjflaksd flaksjd flkasjdflka sdlkasj dflka jsd