An in-depth study of civil strife in a former British colony fueled by 'conflict' diamonds.

Aim

This lesson is intended for junior or seniors in World History, or other electives that deal with world events and/or current issues.

Motivation

This lesson is intended to demonstrate how the violence and civil strife rampant in a particular West African nation has a lot to do with its colonial past, and how the influence of rich, Western players still has a disastrous affect on the current problems here.

N.J. Core Content Standards: 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6

Objectives:

• Student will see how a country with rich resources does not necessarily correlate with a high standard of living for its people in the absence of political and economic freedom (as in Venezuela with its oil and Sierra Leone with diamonds.)
• Students will analyze the impact of post-colonialism; that is, many problems remain as a legacy of colonial powers long after they have left.
• Students will synthesize the role of this legacy and how a country’s own people can also augment these problems.
• Students will evaluate the correlation between the rise of violence and the fall of available education in Sierra Leone.
• Students will critically examine authors’ possible biases and how these biases may appear in the different media sources.  Students will also speculate what might be edited.
• Students will defend a position from another’s perspective using evidence to back up their arguments.
• Students will conceptualize the dangers often faced by journalists by reporting in foreign countries (relevant to the kidnapping the murder of the journalist Daniel Pearl.)

• Lecture notes (if needed) on British colonial influence in Sierra Leone.
• Recommended reference materials include a standard history book, as well as the history sections of travel guides (especially Lonely Planet, which is written primarily by Oxford college students.) Or checkout:
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter9.shtml
  • http://www.newafrica.com/history/sierraleone/post_colonial.htm
• National Geographic feature article on Diamonds (March 2002, Vol.201 No.3) Part of this article can be found at the following website http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2002/03/01/html/ft_20020301.1.html
• CNN’s 2 documentaries of Cry Freetown. (approx. 45 minutes each) http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/01/04/freetown.intro/index.html
• New York Times articles referring either specifically to Sierra Leone (preferably) or nearby Western African nations with similar issues/problems. Check out: http://nytimes.com/pages/world/africa/index.html
• Photos/videos of trips to Sierra Leone or other nearby West African nations, from personal visits or those of friends/colleagues.

Excerpts from the above written materials will be assigned 2-3 days earlier to read in preparation for the class.  To ensure reading accountability and serve as a reading guide, the pivotal questions below can be used; they can also be discussed in class.

Pivotal Questions:

• Sierra Leone was the designated territory within the British Empire designed as a place where free Blacks could migrate, as Liberia has been for the United States.  Yet, these two countries fare worse than most African nations.  Why might that be?
• Much of colonial impulses come from the desire for an imperialist country to obtain more resources or open more markets for their own goods.  Although Sierra Leone is now independent, what resources there are sought after by many Westerners there?  What factions are using profits from these resources to fund their rebellion?
• Generally, it would seem that countries with more resources should fare better than countries with few resources, as France fares better economically than Ethiopia.  However, this is not always the case.  Israeli citizens, a land with very few natural resources, fare quite well, whereas the vast majority of people living in resource-rich Colombia are very poor.  Why might this be? Also, how are the rich resources of Sierra Leone making life for people living there worse?
• In the various media photos, one can notice a disturbing amount of people missing a hand, foot, or even an entire arm or leg.  This was an intentional brutal campaign led by the former corporal in the Sierra Leone army who became the rebel leader Foday Sankoh.  Why did he choose this method of terror as opposed to just simply executing innocent civilians?
• In your opinion, is Sierra Leone a place that warrants U.S. military intervention?  Also, do you think the U.N. presence there will be effective?
• What is not mentioned in these articles?  Why might it not be mentioned?
• Is it a consumer’s responsibility to research where his or her products come from? Is it fair to say that someone who buys a diamond engagement ring for his or her fiancée may be supporting terrorism?
• Is it better for children to go back to their natural family that they don’t know but has done them no wrong, or stay with people who might be associated with terrorists but have provided a loving upbringing and are the people a child feels most comfortable with?
• The United States and Sierra Leone are not as different as they readily appear. They are both former British colonies that experienced civil wars that, in theory, were meant to eradicate the inequalities and suffering of a large African population.  Was the ‘North’ in our civil war any more justified in preventing the secession of the ‘South’ than the government of Sierra Leone preventing the separation of its rebel movement?  How so?  Why or why not?

Procedure:

Day 1

• Class will begin with a Do Now that asks them to write down 5 words that come to mind when thinking of Sierra Leone.  They will also begin to copy down selected notes from the board that the teacher deems essential information regarding the upcoming topic.  Teacher can use this time to check the students’ homework questions and simultaneously check attendance.  (5 minutes)
• After 5 minutes, the class will begin with any observations, questions, and comments that students had about the readings.  Teacher will also pre-assess understanding of certain key terms. (5 minutes) Some of these terms include: Western, Post-colonial, Multi-national corporation, Globalization, Colonization, Imperialism, and 'Conflict' diamonds.
• A lecture lasting about 10 minutes will take place, where the teacher outlines the brief history of Sierra Leone before imperialism and during its history as a British colony. (see above materials for reference.)  (10 minutes)
• Afterwards, students will individually or in small groups of 2-3 (depending on size of class) discuss 1) the history of the following themes in the region, 2) outline its key points, and 3) describe how it affected and/or was affected by the civil war.  The themes assigned are as follows:  Foday Sankoh, diamonds and diamond companies, children, education, weapons and their providers, health care, presence of the United Nations, and the current cease-fire.  (reference material made available and distributed)  (10-20 minutes)

• Student will present their findings in an order determined by teacher, with presentations lasting 1-2 minutes each. (about 15 minutes)
• For the remainder of the class, the first part of the CNN documentary will be shown.  Some parts may need to be edited or skipped due to content, based on the discretion of the teacher  (for the remainder of class, save 4-5 minutes) Teacher will explain what he or she feels might be confusing to the students.  Teacher may also write a worksheet of questions to answer during the film (eg pivotal ?’s), ask students to take some notes on what they feel is important, or simply request that the students write down a few questions (3-4) regarding the content. Furthermore, throughout the film, the teacher will explore the role of media editing and invite students to consider what is shown as well as what is not shown. (25 minutes)
• Near the end of class, teacher will distribute homework assignment and allow students to comment on the documentary, as well as collect any of the above in-class work to assess student understanding. (5 minutes)
• For homework, students will be given (voluntarily or assigned, based on teacher preference) one of the following groups:  Diamond merchants, the Government of Sierra Leone, the Military of Sierra Leone, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the British government, and the United Nations. (2-4 per group, depending on class size.)  They must research and list at least 2 good things that their group has done for Sierra Leone and at least 1 good thing their group has done for people in general.  These claims must have specific evidence (dates, names, places, numbers, etc.) to support them.  Also, they must find at least one bad thing that all of the other groups have done for both SL and the world in general, with similar evidence.

• This day’s activity will simulate a war crimes trial.  A brief description of the current trial of Slobodon Milosevic will take place to familiarize the students with the purpose of a war crimes trial.  Any group will be convicted of war criminal status if it receives a majority of the votes.  Each juror can only indict up to 3 groups as war criminals. (2 minutes)
• Students with similar groups (from their homework assignments) will meet together to pool their ideas and select the best facts/ideas for their presentation.  Also, one student representative will be designated the ‘lawyer’ for the group.  This student will be the primary representative of the group’s interest, with the others serving as paralegals and research assistants. Another student will be a paralegal (P1) whose job it is to visit the other groups and be permitted to view their documents and prepare his or her group for what might be used against them.  Another paralegal (P2) will have the job of finding information based on the request of either the primary lawyer or paralegal 1 (for smaller classes, that is, those with under 15 students, P1 and P2 can be combined as one role) Those students who do not have one of the above 3 roles will be taken aside and told that they will constitute the ‘jury.’  (15 minutes)
• The jury will be instructed during this time that they will have to put aside all of their former biases and listen carefully to the arguments made by the groups.  They will be required to take notes on all of the presentations (such as writing down at least one pro and con for each side) They will also be expected to come up with at least one question to ask one of the groups following the presentation.
• After the 15 minutes, each group shall present its case to the jury by taking 2 minutes (maximum) each to identify themselves, present how they’ve benefited the Sierra Leone and the world, and condemning each of the other groups.  (15 minutes)
• The jurors will then discuss amongst themselves what questions to pose to the groups, while the groups themselves will try to anticipate the jurors’ questions and prepare their defense. (5-10 minutes) P1 from each group may approach the jurors for a maximum of 1 minute each (and one at a time) to share any further ideas or evidence.
• For 45 minute classes, a homework assignment can be given to make up for lost time.

Day 4 (or second half of Day 2 block scheduling)

• Here the groups stand before their peers and have to answer to the questions of the jurors.  Each group will have 20 seconds to respond to any questions posed by a juror. (20-25 minutes)
• Then the jurors will break for 5 minutes to discuss the case amongst themselves and the groups will make their closing statements (30 seconds each) (8-10 minutes)
• Then each group will stand alone before the jurors and listen to the verdict of guilty or not guilty.   If a group is found guilty, they must write a 1 paragraph reaction explaining why they think the jury voted so, and the reverse for the not guilty group.  (5 minutes)
• Teacher will then explain the reality of the accountability of these groups before going into the next part of the documentary in which the host guides one through his native Sierra Leone and follows up on some of the children he discusses in the last documentary years later. (remainder of class)
• Students will be instructed to go over their notes for the test on this unit tomorrow.

Day 5 (or Block Day 3)

• This class will finish the 2^nd documentary as explained above, with the same format as discussed in the first one (notes, question guide, etc.) (30-40 minutes)
• The class will then be given a African geography quiz as well as a quiz pertaining to the key themes presented in this unit.  The quiz will address questions from the readings, the 2 documentaries, the in class notes, and the various presentations.  (10-15 minutes) Some recommended countries for the geography quiz would be Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. A brief discussion involving the differentiation of such places would help students see that Africa is not homogenous in either its language, ethnic groups, histories, and current situation. Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, for example, are former colonies that are today quite peaceful and stable, while countries in the same region are quite unstable (such as Sierra Leone and Liberia.)
• For block scheduling, one can either expand some or all of the previous activities, such as debate restrictions, test length, preparation time, show the entire documentary (or stop it more often to discuss), etc. to fill the entire block. Alternatively, one can end this unit at some point in the middle and proceed to transition into a new topic or introduce a quarterly project relating to Africa.  An example of such a project might be an “Issues of Africa” project, in which students research and give presentation on several key issues that are currently affecting much of Africa.  Those issues might include:
  1. AIDS (prevalence, Western and non-Western government responses, local attitudes towards the endemic, etc.)
  2. Other infectious diseases (such as malaria, river blindness, yellow fever, and ebola) and how poor nutrition, education and health care increase their effects.
  3. Civil wars and conflict (such as ethnic genocide in Rwanda, the diamond wars of Sierra Leone, apartheid in South Africa, religious wars in Nigeria, Eritrea’s and Ethiopia’s border disputes, or resisting colonial occupation as in Algeria.)
  4. Endangered animals and plants (with a focus on non-governmental organizations and agencies.)
  5. Deforestation and desertification (with a focus on the role of corporations, globalization, and the environmental effect on the world.
  6. Other possible topics include land mines (especially problematic in Egypt, Sudan, and Angola), modern day slavery (especially problematic in W. Africa), and famine (especially problematic in East Africa)