Ancestor Stones

Ancestor Stones (2006) is a rich and beautiful novel capturing the experience of women and families during the last 80 years in Sierra Leone. The first time I read the novel was preparing to teach it this summer. The NPR website provides an interesting history of Aminata Forna, whose father was hung during the Civil War when she was only eleven years old.

Reading the novel in the context of the on-going scramble for Africa I am struck by the thematic connections between the lives of the characters in the novel and many fundamental issues relevant across Africa. My students are engaging topic found in the novel including the loss of African religion, rise of Islam in West Africa and colonial resistance, medical care in Africa, African soldiers in WWII, female genital mutilation, gold mining in Africa, diamonds in Africa, role of traditional chiefs under colonialism during neo-colonial period, strikes against colonial rule, sterilizing of women in Africa, African students in England and France, voter fraud in Africa, and war in Africa.

One theme that branches from the text is that of conflict or "Blood Diamonds," a topic brought to widespread consciousness by the Hollywood film. Behind the deeply disturbing story of blood diamonds in another African story -- the DeBeers diamond monopoly. (See my post below on Cecil Rhodes.) You see the surprising thing is that diamonds are not even rare! They are, in fact, a common stone. It is just that the DeBeers company in South Africa has bought them up, created a monopoly, and jacked up the price for their pure profit. Here is an interesting video.