http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/movies/06gold.html?_r=0
As people know, coffee is the world's second largest traded commodity after oil. It's seems like there should be profit at every level of the trade but there's a whole different story behind it. This documentary follows the coffee trade from its production to the consumers and points out the inequality between the top of the hierarchy and the bottom of it. As New York Times puts it, "The documentary “Black Gold” tells an unresolved modern version of the age-old David and Goliath story," corporations that control the worldwide coffee market turn the coffee trade into a selfish business. Taken place in Ethiopia, "Black Gold' explains the hardships Ethiopian coffee farmers are facing because of the ridiculously low prices their coffee is sold. With their daily income being lower than 50 U.S. cents and 67% of Ethiopian export being coffee, the citizens of Ethiopia are struggling each day to survive. As New York Times would agree, the solution to solve African poverty is not emergency aid but a better trade, and by meaning better trade, Africa would only need an increase in 1% in it's share of world trade to receive five times the aid it is receiving right now. This documentary showed a similar perspective of mine on poverty in Africa. I learned from different places that the solution to African poverty is not from the outside but from the inside. As more and more people like Mr. Meskela fight for their rights and work hard for the growth of their community, change is inevitably to come. However, something that the documentary could have done better would have been to trace each step more closely. As the movie explained that there are 5-6 steps until coffee reaches its consumers, I didn't really get to understand each step clearly. After watching this documentary, I became more aware of the coffee that I drank without much thought. As I know myself that every time that I watch a film like this, I become emotionally inspired. However after a week or so I forget everything. So this time I decided to at least not forget about it but be aware of it every time I drink coffee and spread it to others when possible.
Who would have thought that coffee came form Africa. I did not know that coffee was grown in Africa and just thought that it was grown in South America. The most interesting fact that you talked about was how if we raised the value of coffee in Ethiopia by one percent, that it would give Ethiopia five times the aid that they are receiving. All this time, I thought that Africa had nothing but they do have something. The only reason they look like they have nothing is because we are not giving them a fair trade. How fast would the change come if it did, and would it be too late? I am not a regular coffee drinker but now I mus really think about where my coffee is coming from. It also makes me wonder where Starbucks is getting there coffee and if people found out about this, if it would decrease the amount of coffee consumed in the United States.
ReplyDeleteGood observations, Han Gil. It is extraordinary to think that by simply developing an appropriate and just business climate, we could address a lot of the poverty in places like Ethiopia. Things like fair trade can certainly help, but the real goal would be for just practices in everyday business transactions.
ReplyDelete