Characters:Pamela Waldorf played by EllieMary Kate Van der Wood played by AntoniaKumbi played by ChasNu Luk played by PierreMufaro played by AntoniaMuzi played by Ellie

SCENE 1Play starts in the Upper East Side of New York City. Scene starts with Pamela sitting in audience, busying herself with her nails. Mary Kate is on stage on the couch, admiring her diamond engagement ring. Mary Kate calls Pamela. Phone rings and Pamela picks up.Pamela: Hello, Pamela Waldorf speaking.Mary Kate: Pam, its Mary Kate! I have some exciting news, come over to the penthouse as soon as you can.Pamela: Of course darling! Ill get Walter to bring around the limo; be there in 5.Both hang up. Fancy music plays while Pamela goes from audience onto stage, or Mary Kates penthouse.Ding dong sound. Mary Kate opens the door. Pamela: Darling its so good to see you. She says as she walks in. Im sorry Ive been so busy. I was off vacationing in Paris for the week.Mary Kate: Well Im glad you are here now, sit.They both sit on the couch.Pamela: So what is this big news youre so excited about? You called me right when I was buffing my nails so it better lbe important.Mary Kate shows Pamela her hand, which has a flashy diamond ring on it. Pamela gets a look of surprise on her face. Mary Kate: Charles proposed! Ill be a married woman soon!Pamela: Oh darling that is so great! Im so happy for you! Mary Kate: I almost forgot to ask Pamela, would you be my maid of honor?Pam: Oh darling, I would love to!Mary Kate: Oh this is going to be such a beautiful wedding, Im so happy you will be a part of it.Pamela: And you have such a gorgeous ring to top off the whole wedding. Is it from the new Tiffanys collection?Mary Kate: Actually it is not. Charles aquired this from a personal importer.Pamela: Oh how exotic! I wonder where it came fromThe two women freeze for a couple of seconds before the scene changes. The couch is pulled off to the side along with any other props the penthouse scene might have. The new scene is set up.

SCENE 2It is now Zimbabwe in an artisanal mining area. Nu Luk and Kumbi are slaving away in the mining pit, looking kfor anything worthwhile. Digging sound effects play in the background.Nu Luk: pauses digging. Baba?Kumbi: Yes Nu Luk?Nu Luk: When can we go back home? We have been mining here all day.Kumbi: It does not matter how long we have been mining for, what matters is if we find something. And neither of us have found any worthwhile diamonds of any sort.Nu Luk: Why do we need to find diamonds?Kumbi: If we find a diamond, we can sell it to the army. If we sell it, we can get money. If we get money, maybe someday, if we save up enough, you can quit working here and go to school.Nu Luk: What about you? If we sold a diamond, would you quit too? Kumbi: We cannot just quit working here son.Nu Luk: Why?Kumbi: We cannot just leave, muzi and Mufaro would not allow it. We would have to find an amazingly rare diamond to even think about leaving here.Nu Luk: Who are Muzi and Mufaro?Kumbi: Pauses. They are militant bullies. They use our village to make money for the army. Forcing men to mine day after day. Their excuse is that they are protecting us.Nu Luk: Why doesnt anyone do anything?Kumbi: They have the forces and the weapons. We have nothing. Men have tired to disobey, it did not end well for them. Nu Luk: Would they really hurt me?Kumbi: Yes. I have seen Mufaro do it before. Two years before you were born, one man found a diamond and tried to steal and sell it on the black market. Little did he know that Mufaros men were the ones who he was selling it to. Mufaro found out and shot him in the head before the poor man could say anything. Nu Luk: That was twelve years ago, would they still do that today?Kumbi: I would not underestimate them Nu Luk.

SCENE 3Kumbi and Nu luk are still mining for diamonds in Zimbabwe.Nu Luk: Baba, I think someones coming!Kumbi: just keep working, muzi and mufaro are here to check on us.Ellie and Antonia walk in to survey the workers.Muzi: I hope everyone knows that the payment is due next week.Mufaro: We can only ensure the safety of those who can pay us.Nu Luk: whispers to Kumbi But we havent found anythingKumbi: Well be ok, just keep working son.Mufaro: NO TALKING!Muzi: WORK WORK WORK!Ellie and Antonia leave and the miners relax.Nu Luk: What will happen if we dont find any diamonds?Kumbi: The army won't give us our payment, and we will starve.Nu Luk: Why is the army doing this to us?Kumbi: Its complicated son.Kumbi: Everything will be alright, just keep working son.

SCENE 4Nu Luk is mining while Kumbi is shaking dirt off in a pot of waterNu Luk stops mining, sits down and looks around. He finds a diamond and is taken aback.Nu Luk: Baba, Baba!Kumbi looks up: Nu Luk! What is wrong? Why are you yelling?Nu Luk runs up to Kumbi with the diamond: Look, I have found a diamond, isnt it beautiful!Kumbi: Grabbing the Diamond and holding it up to the sky to examine it. Oh Nu Luk! This diamond is amazing, good work, Mufaro and Muzi will be very happy.Nu Luk: Grabbing the diamond back. No! it is our diamond. I will not let Mu the bullies take it. Kumbi hits Nu Luk on the head: Have you gone crazy! We mine for them so that they can keep your mother and sisters safe. Now give me that diamond so we can bring your mother back some money for food. Nu Luk: But Baba, I have worked so hard to find this one diamond, we can keep it! I will take it home and we can bring it to the trade is town just like Banga did.Kumbi breaks down: (to the audience) my son has gone crazy! (to Nu Luk): Do you not remember what happened to Banga after he did that. Muzi, Mufaro, and their men stole all his things, and then burned his house! Do you want that to happen to us? Now give me that diamond!Nu Luk: We are stronger and smarter than Banga. We can go to Mutare and escape from there. We can move to Europe and be rich! Kumbi: You dont understand my son, this diamond is very big and very clear, the soldiers will pay us good money for it.Nu Luk: about 1% of what we could get in europe or in the market! Baba! This could be our chance. We could get away from here! We wouldnt need to spend the rest of our lives digging and being exploited. I could go to school! You could get a job! Oh Baba think of how happy mama would be!Kumbi: Nu Luk you were just saying how you didnt want to be arrested, if we were to be caught wed be more than arrested. Wed be shot. Mama might be happy but she could be dead Nu Luk! Nu Luk: I can't live the rest of my life this way baba, I am not going to have these bullies control my life, I want more than just digging in the dirt all day. This diamond is the best opportunity we have to make our lives better, this is a chance we need to take. Kumbi: Hard decision making face Your right my son now put that away they are coming. Enter Mufaro and Muzi.Mufaro: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO MUMBLING ABOUT OVER THERE.Muzi: GET BACK TO WORK. Nu Luk: (aside to baba) We need to get out of here baba.

SCENE 5Scene shifts back into the NYC, couch is moved back as Zimbabwe props are moved away. Chas and Pierre leave stage and Ellie and Antonia come back on. Back in the Upper East Side of New York, the wives discuss their vast diamond collections. A Kay Jewelers Commercial appears on the TV.Mary Kate: I love the spring collection.Pam: Just the other day I said to Robert how beautiful the new diamond necklaces looked. Our anniversary is coming up you knowMary Kate: Last year for my birthday Charles bought me the most incredible Diamond butterfly pendant from the Glamour collection.Pam: Yes, I remember you wore it to the Gala for the poor Africans, with the dior rose diamond ring.Mary Kate: I was thinking, the bridesmaids at the wedding should all wear the new 9 carat white gold bracelets from Kays.Pam: That sounds lovely! Mary Kate: I cant believe Im getting married in one month!Pam: Its going to be absolutely fabulous darling.Mary Kate: Dont forget we have cake tasting tomorrow at 4, bring Robert.Pam: Wonderful, sorry to be rushing off but Ive got a spa appointment at 2.Mary Kate: Ciao!

SCENE 6Ellie gets on stage as the scene shifts. As the setting is changed on stage, Ellie speaks.Ellie: One month later.Ellie leaves stage.Back to Zimbabwe Kumbi and Nu Luk are packing bags, worried looks on their faces.Kumbi: Nu Luk do you have everything you need? Remember only bring things that are necessary, we cannot afford to bring everything.Nu Luk: I hate that we have to leave Baba! My whole life is here, all my friends, my childhood.Kumbi: It was your idea to leave in the first place Im sorry son, but if we want to prosper as a family we need to flee across the border. There, we can meet the middleman who is buying our diamond and we can use the money he gives us for a better life, away from the clutches of Muzi and Mufaro. Nu Luk: Youre right Im sorry. Where is Amai? Kumbi: Your mother and sisters are a mile ahead of us. Traveling in smaller groups is safer. We will meet them once we get to the truck.Nu Luk: So we hike for a few miles to some remote location, and then we board an unknown truck driven by an unknown man?Kumbi: I know it sounds dangerous, but so is living here. It is our best shot at getting across the border quick enough before Muzi or Mufaro notice people missing and start hunting for us.NuLuk: Alright let's get going.

SCENE 7Scene changes to Upper East Side. Mary Kate and Pamela are getting ready to leave.Pamela: I can't believe you're getting married today! At the end of this night, you will be Mrs. Vanderbilt! Mary Kate: I can't believe it either, I'm so nervous and so excited.Pamela: The limo is pulled up front, do you have your bag?Mary Kate: Picks up bag next to her. I have it right here.Pamela: Well alright then, let's go!Mary Kate and Pamela leave stage in a happy rush and go around the audience, Mary Kate takes off the dress she has on to reveal a wedding dress underneath. She stands by the steps of the stage.

SCENE 8Split stage Zimbabwe on the left and Upper East side on the right. Sound of a gun going off. Nu Luk runs in, stops and drops to the ground. Kumbi: NOOOOO NU LUK! My boy! They shot my boy. Wedding music plays and the ring is placed on Mary Kate's finger.

STAGE GOES BLACK

ENDING COMMENTS:Just a disclaimer, through this play, we aren't trying to shame anyone who has bought a diamond ring. We are trying to raise awareness of situations in Zimbabwe. There are stores like Tiffany's who sell clean diamonds and if you are planning on buying a diamond in the future, we encourage you to consider these stores. All actors come on stage.