"The villagers would most likely be relocated to another village and at best get better land, but nothing that would give them as much money as the diamonds."
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The Diamonds of Marange by Itai T. Mupanduki Trafford Publishing
book review by S.C.
The Diamonds of Marange, a book about the diamond industry in Africa, starts with Mugove and his family on their tiny plot of land they farm along with raising their six cattle, three goats, nine cowls, and a dog. They live a day-to-day existence, selling what food and milk they can. They make enough to get by, but not enough to save or improve their circumstances. Everything changes when the Mugove clan discovers they are sitting on a literal gold mine of diamonds. Theoretically, the discovery of diamonds should be a good thing. But soon, a diamond rush—akin to the American Gold Rush of the nineteenth century—ensues. Daily village activity grinds to a halt as everyone, including teachers, cops, and even children search for the diamonds they are sure will make them rich.
At times The Diamonds of Marange reads like a novel and at others it reads like a research paper. Mugove's life, and that of his family's, sometimes gets lost in the discussions of politics and the stories of the various villagers. These stories do, however, work by showing just how insidious and damaging the new "industry" is on Mugove's home village. The place attracts all kinds of people, many who are undesirable, and violence sometimes ensues, but for the most part Mupanduki skillfully weaves it into the plot, giving a gestalt of the dark side which the discovery of diamonds has upon the community. Mupanduki also shows that fiction can sometimes be just as good of a teacher as the history books.