I-SEE Seminar presented by Dr Roy Maconachie, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath.

Diamond mining is Sierra Leone’s most lucrative export industry, with annual production of up to $US 250 million. But due to poor governance and widespread revenue mismanagement, only a fraction of this wealth returns to the areas where diamonds are mined. While international traders reap vast rewards, for those in the mining pits, poverty and hardship remain. In exploring the challenges of harnessing diamonds for development in poor communities.

The seminar will feature the screening of a new 33-minute documentary film: ‘Voices from the mine’ by Dr Roy Maconachie from the University of Bath’s Centre for Development Studies and Mr Simon Wharf of the Audio Visual Unit.
Based on two years of fieldwork in Kono District in Sierra Leone, the film follows the pathway of artisanal diamonds from mine to market, offers insiders’ perspectives of the challenges of formalising the sector, and explores why exploitation continues to persist at the bottom of the chain.

Following the screening, there will be an opportunity for an open discussion and Q&A, centring on the issues raised in the seminar.