Download or read book Flight of the Diamond Smugglers A Tale of Pigeons Obsession and Greed Along Coastal South Africa written by Matthew Gavin Frank and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Unforgettable. . . . An outstanding adventure in its lyrical, utterly compelling, and heartbreaking investigations of the world of diamond smuggling.” —Aimee Nezhukumatathil For nearly eighty years, a huge portion of coastal South Africa was closed off to the public. With many of its pits now deemed “overmined” and abandoned, American journalist Matthew Gavin Frank sets out across the infamous Diamond Coast to investigate an illicit trade that supplies a global market. Immediately, he became intrigued by the ingenious methods used in facilitating smuggling particularly, the illegal act of sneaking carrier pigeons onto mine property, affixing diamonds to their feet, and sending them into the air. Entering Die Sperrgebiet (“The Forbidden Zone”) is like entering an eerie ghost town, but Frank is surprised by the number of people willing—even eager—to talk with him. Soon he meets Msizi, a young diamond digger, and his pigeon, Bartholomew, who helps him steal diamonds. It’s a deadly game: pigeons are shot on sight by mine security, and Msizi knows of smugglers who have disappeared because of their crimes. For this, Msizi blames “Mr. Lester,” an evil tall-tale figure of mythic proportions. From the mining towns of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, through the “halfway” desert, to Kleinzee’s shores littered with shipwrecks, Frank investigates a long overlooked story. Weaving interviews with local diamond miners who raise pigeons in secret with harrowing anecdotes from former heads of security, environmental managers, and vigilante pigeon hunters, Frank reveals how these feathered bandits became outlaws in every mining town. Interwoven throughout this obsessive quest are epic legends in which pigeons and diamonds intersect, such as that of Krishna’s famed diamond Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light, and that of the Cherokee serpent Uktena. In these strange connections, where truth forever tangles with the lore of centuries past, Frank is able to contextualize the personal grief that sent him, with his wife Louisa in the passenger seat, on this enlightening journey across parched lands. Blending elements of reportage, memoir, and incantation, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is a rare and remarkable portrait of exploitation and greed in one of the most dangerous areas of coastal South Africa. With his sovereign prose and insatiable curiosity, Matthew Gavin Frank “reminds us that the world is a place of wonder if only we look” (Toby Muse).

Download or read book The Diamond Mines of South Africa written by Gardner Fred Williams and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book What Happens When Women Wake Up written by Healing Dynamics Incorporated and published by Healing Dynamics. This book was released on 2009-06 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mining for Diamonds is a metaphor for going within to explore your inner realms; to find and use internal tools to heal from the pain of your childhood; and to discover and claim your true self. This book takes you within to explore your inner realms.

Download or read book The Diamond Trade written by Lillian E. Forman and published by ABDO. This book was released on 2010 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title gives readers a deeper look at the diamond trade and its surrounding conflicts. Readers will learn the history of the diamond trade, including its social, political, and economic effects. Color photos and informative sidebars accompany easy-to-follow text. Features include a table of contents, timeline, facts, additional resources, web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Essential Viewpoints is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

Download or read book The Diamond Mines of South Africa written by Gardner Fred Williams and published by . This book was released on 1902 with total page 838 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Earth written by Tijl Vanneste and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2021-12-21 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping history of our enduring passion for diamonds—and the exploitative industry that fuels it. Blood, Sweat and Earth is a hard-hitting historical exposé of the diamond industry, focusing on the exploitation of workers and the environment, the monopolization of uncut diamonds, and how little this has changed over time. It describes the use of forced labor and political oppression by Indian sultans, Portuguese colonizers in Brazil, and Western industrialists in many parts of Africa—as well as the hoarding of diamonds to maintain high prices, from the English East India Company to De Beers. While recent discoveries of diamond deposits in Siberia, Canada, and Australia have brought an end to monopolization, the book shows that advances in the production of synthetic diamonds have not yet been able to eradicate the exploitation caused by the world’s unquenchable thirst for sparkle.

Download or read book Artisanal Diamond Mining written by Koen Vlassenroot and published by Academia Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Effective development of artisanal diamond mining communities must be based on a thorough understanding of the inherent complexities that characterise the sector. This research coordinated by the Egmont Institute and undertaken in support of the KPCS Working Group on Alluvial/Artisanal Producers (currently chaired by Angola), involved many of the leading thinkers in this field. It makes a significant contribution to our knowledge on the sector, laying the foundations for a concerted work programme. This study does not underestimate the challenges this sector poses. However, it emphasises the critical importance of this task because the integrity of the KPCS and all it stands for are dependent upon addressing the developmental dimensions of the diamond trade not just policing it.

Download or read book Diamonds written by Eric Ethan and published by Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many different types of diamonds in the world. They come in a range of colors and can be cut into all kinds of shapes. This book shows readers that the way these different kinds of diamonds are created really isn’t that different at all. Interesting facts and detailed photographs explain where these gems come from, how they’re made into jewelry, and what makes them so valuable.

Download or read book Diamonds written by William Crookes and published by . This book was released on 1909 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Acres of Diamonds written by Russell H. Conwell and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russell H. Conwell Founder Of Temple University Philadelphia.

Download or read book Notes on the Premier Diamond Mine Transvaal Province written by Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Company Limited and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mining American written by and published by . This book was released on 1909 with total page 702 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A E written by Library of Congress. Office for Subject Cataloging Policy and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 1548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Minerals Yearbook written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Visit to Sydney and the Cudgegong Diamond Mines With a map written by Angus MACKAY (M.L.A.) and published by . This book was released on 1870 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Treasures of the Earth Or Mines Minerals and Metals written by William Jones (F.S.A.) and published by . This book was released on 1869 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Earth written by Tijl Vanneste and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2021-09-16 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping history of our enduring passion for diamonds—and the exploitative industry that fuels it. Blood, Sweat and Earth is a hard-hitting historical exposé of the diamond industry, focusing on the exploitation of workers and the environment, the monopolization of uncut diamonds, and how little this has changed over time. It describes the use of forced labor and political oppression by Indian sultans, Portuguese colonizers in Brazil, and Western industrialists in many parts of Africa—as well as the hoarding of diamonds to maintain high prices, from the English East India Company to De Beers. While recent discoveries of diamond deposits in Siberia, Canada, and Australia have brought an end to monopolization, the book shows that advances in the production of synthetic diamonds have not yet been able to eradicate the exploitation caused by the world’s unquenchable thirst for sparkle.