Manifestation of Neo-colonialism – The Case of Cacao and the Dark Secret of Chocolate

The panel of experts will address long-term challenges on Thursday, June 8 at 11 AM PT, 12 PM MT, 2 PM ET, and 8 PM CET. Register: https://bit.ly/case-of-cacao

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA, June 6, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The Anti-Racism Initiative of the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20), the world’s leading organization focused on the intersection of faith and policy, in collaboration with the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, is gathering world-renowned experts on neo-colonialism and the cacao industry. The panel of experts will address these long-term challenges on Thursday, June 8 at 11 AM PT, 12 PM MT, 2 PM ET, and 8 PM CET.

Register for the free webinar: https://bit.ly/case-of-cacao

Brief History of the Emergence of Neo-colonialism and the Cacao Trade

Neo-colonialism is the term used to define the economic sabotage of underdeveloped countries propagated by developed countries and large multinational corporations and was originally applied to European policies that were seen as schemes to maintain control of African and other dependencies. The European Common Market agreed in 1957 to include their overseas territories under the trade agreements. This was seen as “a new form of economic domination over French-occupied Africa and the territories of Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands.” The term was first used in the context of African countries undergoing decolonization by the first Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. His book, “Neo-Colonialism The Last Stage of Imperialism” when first published in 1965, caused such an uproar in the US State Department that a sharp note of protest was sent to Kwame Nkrumah and $25 million of American "aid" to Ghana was promptly cancelled.

Cacao was first cultivated in South America and the shift to Africa was partially practical (due to Central Africa’s cacao-friendly climate), but the main impetus for relocating cacao farms was easy access to cheap labor coupled with imperial pressures from Europe. With the Americas gaining independence, European imperialism turned its eye toward Africa in what has been referred to as the “scramble for Africa.” While the Dutch role in Africa and the Cacao Trade may not be so evident, it is connected economically because the Port of Amsterdam is the largest Cacao Harbour in the world. Indonesia, a former Dutch colony, is also the third-largest supplier of Cacao in the world.

The Impacts

While the Portuguese exploited laborers from Angola, the British, and Belgians, began to farm cacao in Ghana – then known as the Gold Coast – with the “free laborers” there. In similar imperial fashion, the French utilized tactics of brute force to ensure optimal cacao growth in their African holdings. In addition, they established heavy taxes in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, essentially forcing farmers to grow cacao as an export crop to pay for those taxes.. Today the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are now two of the largest cacao producers. In addition to exploiting people, Neo-colonialism has also harmed the environment, which is a source of deep concern. Not only have human beings exploited the resources and the indigenous peoples, but trees and fauna are being destroyed with insecticides and deforestation. and other activities related to commercial farming.

Neocolonial Racism

This webinar will focus on the relationship and effects of neo-colonialism on the cacao and chocolate trade, and examine issues such as child labor, slavery, and other human rights violations, in cocoa-producing regions. Neocolonial racism has been described as, “a subgroup of racism, inspired by the power dynamics left by the power and wealth disparages of a colonial landscape. This subgroup of racism is typified by a hierarchy of classes dictated by race or ethnic group whose place in the hierarchy coincides with the level of the ethnic group during time of the foreign control; often colonial racism is seen as a power tool of elites to maintain order.”

Objective of the Webinar

It is clear from the above that racism is not just a human issue. It is also an ecological issue as the living environment is exploited from all angles. The historical background is now being conveniently forgotten and even denied. We hope to raise awareness of neo-colonialism, how it is manifesting in the cacao and chocolate business, and what can be done to end the exploitation. In this webinar, presenters will speak on a number of issues, ranging from Human Rights to the Rights of Nature and also provide case studies of projects utilizing new sustainable business models.

PANELISTS

The following are the speakers for the webinar and a preview of their insights on this topic:

Dr. Michael Ehis Odijte: This workshop unveils the bitter truth behind the chocolate industry, exposing the neo-colonial grip on the cocoa value chain that perpetuates exploitation and inequality in a world craving sweetness. Through a critical examination of power structures, market forces, and historical legacies, this insightful workshop reveals how neo-colonialism continues to shape the cocoa value chain, perpetuating a cycle of exploitation and inequality.

Sam Mawudor: Via ‘Mighty Earth’ we hope to achieve transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and  climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in cocoa, and other products, while improving the lives of Indigenous and local communities, and of the producers and their natural ecosystems.

Antoine Fountain: The current reality of the global cocoa trade – and the injustices and inequality that it contains – cannot be understood without the context of the past; the history of colonization informs trade structures that have transitioned into our era. Furthermore, representation matters. All too often, the conversation is about farmers, without having farmers at the table. It is about African or Latin American interests, without these interests being represented by African or Latin American organisations and governments.

Lars Gierveld: Our aim with Kumasi Drink is to increase the incomes of cacao Farmers by using the cacao fruit juice, that normally seeps away, as waste, into the soil. Now Farmers have an alternative income stream and a new innovative business model to work with.

For more information, please visit www.g20interfaith.org.

Marianna Richardson
G20 Interfaith Forum
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