Naomi Campbell Puts Liberia On The Map – Blood Diamond Case In Words And Photos
NAOMI Campbell is the news. A story that would have barely registered as a blip on the news radar has a celebrity angle. Can Campbell do for Lieberia what Angelina Jolie did for Namibia?
Will Al Qaeda keen to get back on the new agenda invite Lindsay Lohan to lunch? Get a load of this courtroom exchange:
Campbell: “I’d actually never heard of Liberia at that time.”
Taylor’s defence lawyer: “Many people hadn’t until you turned up today.”
Naomi Campbell has been giving evidence in the Hague in the Blood Diamond trial of former dictator of Liberia Charles Taylor. If the gift of “dirty stones” Campbell received can be linked to Taylor, the case against him is strengthened.
Did Taylor – on trial for crimes including murder, rape and torture – us such diamonds to pay for weapons to use in a ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone?
The prosecution failed to the Campbell to state the diamonds she received were definitely were from Taylor.
Now read on….
The Reluctant Model
“I didn’t really want to be here. I was made to be here. Obviously, I want to get this over with and get on with my life. I really don’t want anything to do with this and I care about the protection of my family.
“This is someone, I read up on the internet, that has killed thousands of people, supposedly, and I don’t want my family in danger in any way.”
Get the Look
In contrast to her usual edgy fashion style, she wore a cream cardigan and a figure-hugging matching dress, and her hair was piled up into a classic chignon. – Mail
What Says The Body Language?
“For her bizarre-looking appearance at the war crimes trial, Naomi appeared to be echoing Ivana Trump circa 1980: Simple, classic lines topped with a deeply heavy fringe that all but obscured her eyes, and a solid-looking beehive that resembled a helmet more than a hairdo.
“The cream-coloured outfit suggested a demure kind of innocence, while the transparent, layered fabric clearly hinted at transparency.
“The cut of the neckline made strong focus on a simple piece of jewellery. That looked like a so-called ‘evil eye’, a symbol associated with warding off evil or causing bad luck for the person at whom it is directed. – Star
Dirty Stones
In the night, there was a knock at the door of Miss Campbell’s room and two men were standing there. She said: ‘They gave me a pouch and said, “A gift for you”.’ Miss Campbell claimed she went back to sleep and did not examine the contents until the morning.
She did not realise at first that the stones were ‘blood diamonds’.
‘They were kind of dirty looking pebbles,’ the model said. ‘I didn’t know, I’m used to seeing diamonds shiny and in a box. These are the kind of diamonds I am used to seeing.’
She added: ‘At breakfast, I told Miss Farrow and Miss White what had happened and they said, “It must have been from Charles Taylor”, and I said, “Yeah, I guess it was”.’ – Mail
Campbell did as super models do and got her priorities in order – beauty sleep then open the bag to look at the prezzie within.
What Others Say – Mia Farrow
Her testimony contradicts a written statement made by Mia, who claimed: “She told us an unforgettable story. She told us she had been awakened in the night by knocking at her door. She opened the door to find two or three men – I do not recall how many – who presented her with a large diamond which they said was from Charles Taylor.”
Her account was backed up by Naomi’s former agent White, who said she was present when the uncut diamonds were delivered.
Mia, a charity campaigner, sparked the “blood diamond” scandal by contacting the war crimes trial last year.
She claims Naomi boasted about the gift the following morning: “You don’t forget when a girlfriend tells you that she was given a huge diamond in the middle of the night. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Meanwhile, White claimed she heard Naomi flirting with Taylor over dinner and discussing diamonds and alleges she later organised for his men to come to her room to deliver the gems. – Star
The Brutality
Perhaps Campbell would do well to sit down for an hour or two and read through the account written by her namesake, Greg Campbell, a journalist whose powerful book Blood Diamonds – Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones lays bare the horrors of Sierra Leone during those 11 nightmare years between 1991 and 2002. In its pages, she would read of RUF commanders inextricably linked to Taylor and the blood diamond trade. Many were monsters beyond imagining.
With noms de guerre such as General Babykiller or Queen Chop Hands, and missions named Operation Pay Yourself and Operation No Living Thing, even the likes of Naomi Campbell would be left in little doubt as to their intentions. – Herald
Mandela’s Pals
The president has never been afraid to ruffle feathers with his political associations. In 1990, he gave public support to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, President Fidel Castro of Cuba and Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, whom he described as a “comrade in arms”.
Thanking Gaddafi for his backing in the anti-apartheid struggle, Mandela was once quoted as saying: “Those who feel we should have no relations with Gaddafi, have no morals. Those who feel irritated by our friendship with President Gaddafi can go jump in the pool.”
Along with his trademark colourful shirts, Mandela also has a taste for celebrity, having welcomed Campbell, who described him as her “honorary grandfather”, Michael Jackson and the Spice Girls. – Guardian
Campbell was there as an ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund,
Nelson does so love celebrity.
The Party Guests
CHARLES TAYLOR
NAOMI CAMPBELL
IMRAN KHAN
JEMIMA KHAN
NELSON MANDELA
GRACA MICHAL – Mandela’s third wife.
QUINCY JONES
MIA FARROW
CAROLE WHITE – Campbell’s former manager
Claims Campbell flirted with Taylor over dinner and talked about diamonds. Then claims she facilitated the gem drop that night. She says she let Taylor’s men in and the model was given six small diamonds wrapped in some paper. She claims Campbell invited the men inside and gave them Coca-Cola. The model was allegedly disappointed it was not a ‘big shiny diamond’.
It’s All About Mia
Campbell might be a naive catwalk-strutter, but Farrow is something worse: a celebrity imperialist, labouring under a White Woman’s Burden to save Africa from itself. – FPost
The pictures:
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BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Ministry of Defence undated collect photo of Bombardier Brad Tinnion who died during the military operation to free six British soldiers held hostage in Sierra Leone yesterday Sunday September 10 2000. Mr Tinnion, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire who served with the Royal Artillery was killed in the Operation Barras assault on the remote jungle hide-out of the renegade West Side Boys. See PA story DEFENCE Soldiers. PA Photos
Posted: 6th, August 2010 | In: Key Posts, Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
