Russell Simmons Talks About His South Africa Trip

[Damien J.]

With all the publicity surrounding conflict diamonds, hip-hop ambassador Russell Simmons journeyed to South Africa on a fact-finding mission to see conditions for himself. He hopes his visit will help determine how the diamond industry can impact Black Africans in a positive way. In a BET.com exclusive, Simmons said his wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, inspired him to make the trip. Their jewelry business, Simmons Jewelry Co., includes diamond pieces and is currently sold in stores like Zales and Gordon’s Jewelers.

“I want to make sure we are doing the right thing by promoting conflict-free diamonds,” he said via phone from Johannesburg, South Africa. “I want to make sure the diamonds I use are helping empower Africans. The money we make at Zales will go back to Africa and back to a school that I’m visiting.” The school, the CIDA City Campus in Johannesburg, helps roughly 4,000 South Africans attend college for free.

Simmons’ other stops include diamond mines in Botswana. “I heard the conditions are good and that is very important funding for people in Botswana,” he told BET.com. “I want to film it and put it on YouTube.com.” Simmons says footage from his trip will be available on Thursday. Before he leaves, Simmons plans to co-host a reception with the Festus Mogae, the President of Botswana. “I’ll be inviting prominent people, such as Oprah Winfrey, [my brother] Reverend Run and Spike Lee to meet the president,” Simmons said.

He hopes that his South African trek will better inform the hip-hop community about the diamond industry. “I hope in the future, when you buy a diamond, that you are not just buying it for vanity, but that you are empowering and educating people.”

This report is provided by BET.com