Rewriting History in Edward Zwick’s movie Blood Diamond: A New Historicist Reading

Abstract

This research work depicts the reflection of historical facts of Sierra Leone Civil War during 1996 to2001 in Blood Diamond (2006), a war thriller based on the terror and violence occurred in Sierra Leone. The film captures the realistic violence of the nation through cinematic representation which is examined as the rewriting of Sierra Leone history in fictional form as a New Historicist Reading. The film illustrates violence and unrest in the African country at the end of the twentieth century bringing an issue of social and political reality during the Civil War. It includes real historical incidents like trade and conflict associated with diamond, rise of Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and involvement of the child soldiers in the military, the Civil War, mass killing and unfair power politics. Various political and non-political groups and Europeans’ quest for diamonds involve illegal trade. Terrorist groups and smugglers especially the westerns white exploit the mines in Sierra Leone. Natives of Sierra Leone resort to exile and refuge while searching treasures and valuables in Sierra Leone. Zwick’s movie reflects the real history and how power politics is practiced in Sierra Leone Civil War in 1990s. It exposes natives’ plights under the western imperial rulers. Zwick’s movie unravels sordid realities of Sierra Leone Civil War from the new historicist’s perspective comprising theoretical insights of Michael Foucault, Stephen Greenblatt, Louis Montrose, H. Aram Vesser and Peter Barry.