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When Blood Diamond hit cinemas in 2006, it brought Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war and the trade in conflict diamonds to a global audience. Although the film’s principal cast was largely made up of international actors, several Sierra Leoneans played important roles behind the scenes in helping the production capture the country’s language, history and wartime realities.
Directed by Edward Zwick, Blood Diamond stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, a former Rhodesian soldier turned diamond smuggler, and Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy, a Mende fisherman whose family is separated when rebels attack his village, Shenge.
After Solomon discovers a large pink diamond while working as a forced labourer in Kono, he hides it. His discovery brings him into contact with Archer, who wants the diamond for himself. Their uneasy partnership becomes a journey through a country devastated by war as Solomon searches for his wife, Jassie and son, Dia, while Archer pursues the stone that could change his life.
The film’s portrayal of Sierra Leone’s conflict was supported by people with direct knowledge of the country.
Among them was Sierra Leonean journalist and documentary filmmaker Sorious Samura, whose acclaimed documentary Cry Freetown had documented the 1999 rebel invasion of Freetown. Samura served as a consultant to the production and provided the filmmakers with firsthand insight into the conflict and its impact on civilians.
Alfred Lavalie also contributed as a Mende dialect coach, helping the production with the language and pronunciation used by the characters. Contemporary accounts of the production describe Lavalie’s emotional difficulty watching some of the recreated wartime scenes, reflecting the personal connection many Sierra Leoneans had to the events depicted.
Another Sierra Leonean associated with the production was acclaimed academic, Dr Arthur Abraham, identified as a Mende dialect consultant. His contribution, alongside Lavalie’s language work, helped the production navigate the linguistic and cultural elements of the story.
Dr Arthur Abraham
Sierra Leone was also represented in the cast through Adetokumboh M’Cormack, a Freetown-born actor who played an R.U.F. trainer.
Adetokemboh McCormark
Despite its largely international cast, Blood Diamond went on to become a major commercial and cultural success. The film grossed more than US$170 million worldwide and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for DiCaprio and Best Supporting Actor for Hounsou.
Its success was not without debate. Some critics questioned aspects of its portrayal of Africa and Sierra Leone, while others praised the film for drawing international attention to the human cost of conflict diamonds.
But behind the Hollywood production were Sierra Leoneans whose knowledge, experiences and expertise helped give the story greater linguistic and cultural grounding.
For a film made largely by outsiders about one of Sierra Leone’s darkest chapters, their contribution remains an important part of the story behind Blood Diamond.
