It is Diamond Jubilee time in Great Britain, and isn’t it ironic that as the queen gets all cushy with her Commonwealth minions, she has the cheek to flaunt colonial theft by wearing stolen jewels in her headpiece and sceptres? She is rubbing our faces in it!
Unfortunately for the queen, the dastardly rape of Africa’s diamond fields is not something that can be swept under royal carpets, or even hidden behind those Elgin Marbles (ask the Greeks how they feel about the systematic removal of their Parthenon’s marble sculptures - no wonder their economy is stuffed, there is nothing left for tourists to see).
And if you think I am exaggerating, consider that in 1810 the Pom’s thought it proper to kidnap a South African lady, Sarah Baartman, and parade her around London as ‘The Hottentot Venus’ like she was some kind of circus freak.
Also consider that they have previously pinched a jewel from India called the Kohinoor diamond. Where does it reside? Atop the crown jewels of course, right next to their South African loot.
Remember that at the time the Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 and ‘gifted’ to the English royal family, black folk couldn’t even own houses, never mind diamond mines of their own.
Of course, the reasons for returning the jewels are not just a matter of ethics or the stone being a symbol of British subjugation of Africa. It is also about the tidy sum of $400 million, which the Star of Africa is reportedly worth.
I can already picture those diamonds in King Goodwill’s crown, marvelously offset against his leopard skins. Or perhaps mounted atop his shield? What a fantastic tourist drawcard that would be for the impoverished KwaZulu Natal region. We Capetonians would probably take better care of the jewels, but alas, besides Tannie Evita, we have no royalty down here.
But what a wonderful gesture it would be: the queen returns her stolen plunder to the needy subjects of her realm.
Otherwise, we should rename her celebration the Diamond Theft Jubilee.
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