Rapper Ja Rule Is the New $23,000 Face for Botswana Diamonds

 Jaid Barrymore and Ja Rule in February 2005. Photo released under Creative Commons bz Timothy M. Moore.

Jaid Barrymore and Ja Rule in February 2005. Photo released under Creative Commons by Timothy M. Moore.

American rapper Ja Rule has been tapped to promote Botswana diamonds, much to the ire of some of the country's web users. 

Brand Botswana, a department of the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA), which works closely with the government, announced that they would be paying the rapper the equivalent of 23,000 US dollars to market diamonds – the country's main export – shortly after Ja Rule performed in the capital Gaborone. 

According to news reports, the amount of money paid to the artist could increase as Brand Botswana and Ja Rule are exploring possibilities of featuring Botswana in the rapper’s television shows. Only time will tell if this investment will indeed pay off for Brand Botswana.

Shortly after the news broke, people around the country took to Twitter to voice their views on the matter. “So brand botswana is paying an ex convict to market botswana diamond, in times when the world worries about conflict diamond. Very smooth,” user @vybem wrote. 

Numerous others disagreed with Brand Botswana's decision:

Some chose to see the positive side of having a rapper promote Botswana's diamonds:

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