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It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon & nine year old Mariama Fofana is 

spending the weekend at her Grandma Fatima’s house in a quiet 

neighborhood in Marietta, Georgia. While Grandma Fatima is 

downstairs making lunch, Mariama is up in her grandmother's room 

being curious as usual.

Mariama is trying on her grandmother’s 

jewelry. Today, she sees one that she has 

never noticed before. It is the most 

beautiful diamond necklace she's ever 

seen. It’s made up of about 100 small, 

shiny diamonds going all around and 

the middle part is in the shape of

 a flower.

 Just as she is about to 

touch it, she hears an angry

voice call her name...

“Mariama, what have I told you about going through my jewelry? 

  You could have broken something.”

“And the most precious one! Your 

grandfather gave this to me before 

he died. It really means a lot to me.”

“Sorry grandma, I couldn’t help it. 

  This one is so beautiful…”

Mariama held her head 

down in shame. She really 

hadn’t meant to upset her 

grandmother.

“It’s okay, little one. You didn’t know.” Grandma said.

They both go down to the kitchen to have lunch. Fatima limps over to 

her side of the small kitchen table to sit and eat.

“One day when you’re just a little older, I’m gonna tell you the story 

behind that necklace so that you will understand why it’s so important. ”

After lunch, Grandma Fatima cleans up. Her mind is still 

on the necklace. Seeing it out brought back so many 

disturbing memories she had wanted to forget for a long 

time now. The misery that took place felt so real once 

again. While doing the dishes, she began to think about 

everything that had happened back then.

The year is 1991 in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone, located on the 

continent of Africa. Fatima and her husband, Ibrahim live in the village in a 

small house. They have a 6 year old daughter named Amina who has just left 

for the United States to live with family in Georgia. Fatima will be leaving in a 

few days, followed by Ibrahim the following week. They want to make a better 

life for themselves soon.

Fatima and Ibrahim are in their home celebrating their anniversary. 

They invited a friend, Ishmael over to help them celebrate. Ibrahim 

hands Fatima a gift. It is a beautiful diamond necklace made with 

hundreds of diamonds neatly super-glued together. Fatima thanks her 

husband and gives him a big hug.

Ishmael, on the other hand, does not look very happy.

“Where did you find that?” He asks, almost angrily.

“I have been making it from the diamonds that I have been digging up   

during work.”

“Do you not realize how much you can make if you sell that thing.”

“That’s not what’s important to me.” Ibrahim replies.

And with that, Ishmael storms out.

A while later, gunshots go off throughout the village. The couple 

begins to panic. For a while now, there’s been a war going on in 

their country and other surrounding countries because of the 

diamonds. They are worth a lot and people are killing to get a hold 

of them. They are also what is keeping these wars going.

Fatima quickly stashes the necklace under the carpet. They are very scared. 

All they hear outside are gunshots, angry voices, and the people’s cry of 

despair. The soldiers were antagonizing their own people for the diamonds. 

They were called rebels. Ibrahim could hear them approaching the house. 

One enters in and looks right at them. It's Ishmael! He walks up to Ibrahim 

and demands to know where the rest of the diamonds are hidden. He has 

been on the rebels’ side now this whole time!

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