Last day we talked about the fashion scandals on the catwalk. But that is not all. Many are the scandals that have been in the world of fashion and little by little, you´ll know them in depth. Undoubtedly, this is one of them. The famous supermodel and ebon goddess Naomi Campbell was seen in a trial for receiving “blood diamonds” in 1997.
Blood diamonds are those that are extracted and are usually marketed in countries immersed in warlike conflicts whose extraction and commercialization violates human rights. Then, with money they will pay the costs of the wars. Amazing, isn´t it?
Liberian´s President Charles Taylor was the trigger for this event. It all happened in 1997 in South Africa, at the home of former President Nelson Mandela during a dinner. Charles Taylor denies this happening, but at the trial Naomi Campbell claimed that “two mysterious men” knocked on her door and handed her a bag with tiny dirty diamonds.
I did not recognize them as diamonds. For me they are something nice, bright and coming in a box. They already know.
-Naomi Campbell
However, Carole White (former representative of Naomi) was responsible for giving a completely different version in the trial and confirms the apparent naivety of Campbell (who claims he did not know the country’s existence) that she received those diamonds conscientiously . Everything were contradictions. While Campbell claims that Taylor sat in front of her, White says they sat together at that dinner, that there was a flirtation between them and they mentioned gifts of diamonds.
“They called my door at night and they did not identify themselves, and I assumed that they were diamonds, commanded by Taylor”.
-Naomi Campbell
I was asleep when they knocked on my door. The envoys did not come in and I left the gift on the table. I usually receive many, said the model. However, White revealed that they touched my room looking for Naomi’s. I invited them to Cokes and then we went to see her, said White in his written testimony.
Following the statement, Naomi Campbell said she had gone to South Africa to help the most disadvantaged children. So she went in search of Jeremy Ratcliffe to donate it to him. But to everyone’s surprise, in 2009 Jeremy said he did not have them and that they were still in the hands of Naomi. The Mandela Foundation says that they have never received such diamonds.
However, despite allegations against the model, she was acquitted of the trial and the one arrested in 2006 was Charles Taylor.