“Diamonds are a woman's best friend and a man's worst enemy” (Anonymous). This quote from an anonymous author has a much deeper meaning than it might seem. Diamonds have long been associated with love, romance and other feelings of compassion. This is because we were mesmerized by what we see on television, which only shows the beautiful side of the jewel. The reality is that because we are so far from where the majority of diamonds are mined, Africa, we have been separated from the struggles these people faced to bring the diamond to its current level of prestige. In the 19th century, when the first diamond was found in South Africa, it was native Africans who fueled the industry's rapid growth by infiltrating mines and providing labor to foreign debt holders. During the colonial period, African workers organized unions and advocated for better working environments for themselves and future members of the African diamond industry workforce. Also in this era, Africa became the largest diamond producer in history, mainly thanks to the De Beers Group. Finally, while it may seem like much of the diamond industry in Africa is run by foreigners, some natives like Tokyo Sexwale have learned from mistakes made in the past and are making a future in the industry seem viable for Africans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 1867, the Eureka Diamond was found by Erasmus Jacobs near Kimberley in South Africa. This discovery led to a large influx of foreigners from Europe who wanted to exploit the potential wealth of the area. The number of Africans who came to the mines was far surpassed by that of white European diggers, but their impact was much more important on the industry. The first to enter were the Griqua. The Griqua were a Europeanized African community that descended from relationships between the area's original Dutch settlers and native populations (Cleveland 40). Their entry into the mines prompted countless other Africans to attempt excavations and led to the division of the area into specific claims. Claims were pieces of land owned by a certain person and only that person could mine the area. However, not all colonies could afford their own demands, so many provided their services to white miners. The amount of work they gave to these European credit holders would lead to an increase in diamonds found and would put millions into the pockets of credit holders keeping wages at a minimum as many would work for anything at this stage. Their willingness to work and seek out the opportunities that came their way helped the industry advance rapidly around the world and would not have been possible without the influx of African labor into the Kimberley. The colonial period in Africa began in 1885 with the Berlin Conference. This was a meeting of European powers in Africa that essentially divided the country into territories. The main owners of the African subsidiaries were Germany, France, Portugal, Great Britain and Italy. However, it took a lot more than just circling around the portion of Africa you wanted on the map to officially make it their possession. The country must show actual occupation or a sign that you actually inhabited the country and were willing to rule it. Once they occupied their piece of land, many countries opened mines and searched for gold on their own. They employed numerous Africans to work for them, many of whom were migrants to the area. Migrants were natives who wentat the excavation sites and signed contracts to work for a period of time on that lot. At one point, they made up 80-85% of the mines' workforce (Cleveland 125). The conditions these people had to work in were terrible and they were willing to fight for more rights in the workplace. One way to do this was to organize unions. A workers' union were people with similar grievances who could protest for a specific change in an organized way. They would stop until they got what they wanted, and that worked because without migrant workers performing the grueling tasks that white men wouldn't do, such as hauling wheelbarrows of dirt that covered the kimberlite deposits, the mining operation had to be stopped until they returned. These strikes led to increased wages and respect for migrant workers. These unions have also helped raise the living standards of today's workers. Many companies now house their employees in decent housing units, as opposed to the borderline “prisons” they had to deal with during the early part of the era. Despite all the conflicts that arose due to disputes between the native Africans and their European settlers, the working relationship that formed between these two groups of people helped put Africa on the map, so to speak. Without the investments of people like Cecil Rhodes and the diamond monopoly known as the De Beers Group, Africa would be nothing more than an ant in the world of diamond mining. Rhodes invested nearly $650,000 in a diamond farm owned by the De Beer brothers, which became the second largest ever in terms of diamond yield. This started the company that would eventually absorb countless others around the country to become a monopoly in the industry. Even though monopolies are illegal today, back then they were just what the country needed to become a member of the booming world. De Beers has worked as a protagonist for good business in Africa, and has worked against the greedy. An example of this is when the dictator leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, severed his country's trade relations with De Beers. This made his stones more precious and worth more. To counter this phenomenon, De Beers has released a large quantity of similar stones from its companies onto the market and has lowered prices by 40%. This quelled the rebellion and, in turn, led De Beers to reserve jobs for “historically disadvantaged” groups or natives. They offered higher level positions to the natives and instilled confidence in them. This created a relationship of trust between the company and Africans that can still be seen today as Mpumi Zikilala, originally from South Africa, was recently appointed to the company's Board of Directors. Without a major success of the De Beers Group's initiative to cultivate diamond fields in Africa, Africa may still be trying to figure out how to become a world leader through mining. Finally, as the African country stabilizes after the colonial era and seeks to learn from its successes and failures, new leaders with African heritage have stepped forward to show their people that the future is bright. Diamonds will always be coveted around the world, so it's fitting that some companies are owned by the people who inhabit the land where they were initially found. A man named Tokyo Sexwale is making a career in the mining company known as Trans Hex in Cape Town, South Africa. He is an ex-convict, having served his role during apartheid in South Africa. He fought for the rights of his people and.