Welcome to Retro Rewind, the original TGJ feature carved out to take our readers on a journey into Entertainment’s glorious and occasionally controversial past.
Where our journey will take us today?
2010, the year in which Naomi Campbell was forced found herself embroiled in a deadly scandal involving war crimes, Nelson Mandela…and “dirty stones.”
Step into TGJ’s time machine below…
In 1997, Campbell was invited to a Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Function by Mr. Mandela, her adopted father figure.
Also in attendance was Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia who had been accused of committing horrific war crimes during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
There, at the function, Taylor is said to have given Campbell a gift…blood diamonds.
Mined in war zones by impoverished men, women and children, blood diamonds are often sold to fund dangerous and deadly criminal activities committed by warlords and the likes of the terrorist group Al Qaeda.
On January 16th 2002, the United Stations and Sierra Leone joined forces to build the Special Court for Sierra Leone to bring those involved in war crimes, murder, forced child labour and blood diamonds to justice.
What happened when Campbell was forced to testify?
Watch below…