Change the World with a Banana!
I really do believe that I can change the world...
Ok, so at the ripe old age of 30 I should have matured past the idealism of my teens.
I’ve not been hearing voices or taking happy pills, but I’m a firm believer that a small pebble can ripple quite a distance. Or, put another way, enough purchases made from ethical sources and lives can be permanently changed. It’s easy to blame politicians for the world’s problems, but I’m convinced that we’re all politicians, whether we see ourselves as political or not.
Money Talks
Each time we make a purchase, we are making a political statement: telling the suppliers “I value your product”. This is not just the physical entity that sits on the supermarket shelf, but the production process behind it. Money talks, so it’s sometimes good to reflect on what your shop receipts say about you!
So what about fair-trade? Is it just a quick fix for guilt-ridden middle class consumers to give them the feel-good factor? And what sort of statement is being made when buying a fair-trade product? To me, fair-trade is about simple purchases making a powerful statement- that the wages of the producers and their working conditions matter. That people actually matter. That being a consumer isn’t just about being a consumer, but being a member of a global community.
I also believe that fair-trade reflects the values I hold. To love our neighbour as ourselves: not just the people down my street, but the Ghanaian farmer struggling to make ends meet; the Bolivian child who can not afford an education; the Bengali mother who can’t pay for medical treatment. They’re our neighbours. Think of what you had for breakfast this morning and where it came from. My purchases and yours affect the lives of others globally.
Too much effort? Too much expense?
But isn’t fair trade too much effort? Too much expense? The alternative is to sit back and accept that it’s ok for half the world to live on less than $2 a day. That it’s acceptable for 20% of the world to consume almost 90% of the world’s goods. That it’s not a problem that the gap between rich and poor is growing.
This year we’ve been celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Surely its time we embrace this concept of making poverty history more enthusiastically and pursue freedom from economic slavery. I’m sure most would agree with Nelson Mandela, that poverty
“is not natural. It is manmade and can be overcome by the actions of human beings”
Eradicating it is not a gesture of charity but an act of justice. The fact that the UK fair-trade market continues to grow rapidly stands testimony to these values.
So next time you’re in the supermarket, remember that you can change the world with humble bananas, chocolate or fair-trade mangoes! Our purchases collectively do make a difference.
For more information visit: www.fairtrade.org.uk
Written by Rebecca Sander.
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