Film spotlights Marange diamond resource curse

By Shamiso Dzingire

A documentary film was launched yesterday highlighting an unfortunate story of how the extractive sector was a curse to the Marange community where the precious diamonds were discovered.

The 24 minute film titled, “Marange: The imprisoned community,” produced by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) — details violations by State and non-State actors in the diamond mining area of Marange communal lands.

Speaking at the launch yesterday, CNRG director Farai Maguwu said Marange gives an apt illustration of what is meant by the term “resource curse.”

“It is a sad non-fictional, true to life and fact-based film. The film captures the thoughtless attack on people’s rights like the right to life, right to human dignity, environmental rights as well as the violation of the people of Marange’s freedom and torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” he said.

Maguwu said the documentary exposes how the placement of Marange Community under the Protected Places and Areas Act curtailed the freedom of movement of locals and other citizens.

It represents the epitome of failure of liberation movements where political rhetoric is used to cover up for murder, resource plunder, land grabbing and environmental pollution,” he said. DailyNews