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| Taylor is standing next to Nelson Mandela in this after dinner photo |
In recent weeks the mainstream western media has suddenly taken interest in the war crimes trial of former Liberian warlord and president in The Hague, Netherlands. The western media had shown very little interest in the Taylor trial or for that matter the other trials that were held in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Thanks to the infamous Naomi Campbell who gave evidence in the trial we have now seen coverage of the trial and Naomi’s testimony on the front pages of every newspaper or news blogs around the world. This sudden interest is mainly because a ‘celebrity’ had become a star witness in a war crimes trial. Probably this has never happened before.
The people of Sierra Leone and Liberia suffered at the hands of warlords in the likes of Charles Taylor and Foday Sankoh for over 12 years in civil wars that were borne out of greed, corruption and the desire to have access to Sierra Leone’s diamonds. The resources of Sierra Leone and Liberia were plundered by Taylor and his cohorts but few people within the international community voiced their abhorrence for Taylor and his gang of marauders then. In fact Taylor and Sankoh had the tacit support of some African leaders and their partners within the region and beyond.
Naomi Campbells testimony and the rebuttal by Mia Farrow and her former personal assistant Carole White speak volumes of the plight of poor African nations vis-à-vis the rich and powerful, be they individuals, corporate organizations or countries. Rogue African leaders have always being dined and feted by unscrupulous leaders and corporate entities around the world because they come with pockets lined with the proceeds and largess of their country’s resources.
It is a shame that the iconic name of Nelson Mandela and his charity had to be sullied in transactions involving shady characters like Charles Taylor, Jeremy Ractliffe and of cause Naomi Campbell. Campbell’s testimony and the stories that have come out since begs for more questions. The whole truth about Taylor’s involvement with the then head of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Jeremy Ractliffe is yet to be told.
In 1997 Taylor was a pariah amongst African leaders and few wanted to do business with him, but somehow he got an invite to dine with the legendary Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday. That was a coup for Taylor.
The invitation provided him a photo-up with Mandela and other celebrities from around the world including Mia Farrow, Imram Khan and even Quincy Jones. How much did Taylor pay for the invitation? We may never know, but we know that the charity invited the celebrities because of the donations they would make towards the Nelson Mandela charity. Did Ractcliffe receive ‘donations’ from Charles Taylor for the charity or did he receive personal ‘gifts’ from Taylor for the invitation. In fact we now know that Gracia Michel, now Mrs. Mandela was not too happy with having the notorious Taylor hanging around her dinner table. However Jeremy Ractcliffe had the final say since he was heading the charity at the time.
Under the circumstances, Naomi Campbell probably did the right thing by turning over the diamonds to Mr. Ractcliffe who we now know did not inform the charity about the diamonds but by his own admission held on to the precious minerals for 13 years. As head of the Nelson Mandela charity Mr. Ractcliffe was under an obligation to inform the charity about the ‘gift’ that Ms. Campbell handed over to him with instructions to use it for the benefit of the charity. He knew the diamonds were from Taylor, he knew Taylor had been arrested and indicted for involvement in Sierra Leone’s ‘blood diamond’ trade, he knew that the legitimate owners of the diamonds he had in his possession were the war victims and people of Sierra Leone who had suffered for 12 years at the hands of Taylor, Sankoh and their band of marauders.
Mr. Ractcliffe held on to the precious minerals for 13 years during which men, women and children were being killed and maimed in the villages and towns of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ractcliffe knew even before Taylor’s arrest and indictment that he and his band of supporters had been involved in trafficking ‘blood diamonds’ from Sierra Leone. Ractcliffe knew that the diamonds in his possession were from Charles Taylor but he did not say a word about it until after Campbell’s testimony. Ratcliffe is a crook and should be investigated preferably by the special courts for Sierra Leone because we can now prove that he was in possession of diamonds belonging to the people of Sierra Leone for 13 years. We are not even sure now whether the quantity and quality of diamonds that Naomi handed over to Ractcliffe are the same as the diamonds he has now turned over to the South African authorities. There should be an investigation and war victims in Sierra Leone should be adequately compensated by Mr. Ractcliffe and anyone else found culpable.
