Introduction
Black Gold is documentary directed by the by British brothers Marc and Nick Francis. The documentary was produced in 2006 and it is all about Ethiopia farmer as he moves around the world while seeking to secure good prices for his quality coffee commodity. The generally address the world coffee trade and the consequences of this coffee trade to farmers. The movie utilized a budget of $ 760,000 and its preparation took about three years.
The whole question addressed by the movie is about the way the multinational companies are controlling the coffee shopping malls and the whole coffee industry. The estimated industry under the control is about $80 billion. This control has made coffee the most expensive tradable commodity following oil production. While this commodity continues to give the multinational companies shareholders massive profits, the farmers down at their local level continue to receive little pay from this commodity though they are the original producers of this commodity.
This situation can be a testimony from Ethiopian coffee farmers who are the vital identified original producers of coffee. Ethiopia is a considerable birthplace for this black gold though his farmers are the exhibit of the paradox of coffee trade. Tadesse Meskela is among 74,000 men in the mission to safe their coffee farmers from the menace of bankruptcy but trading the alleged black gold. Tadesse takes the task of moving around looking for considerable global fair price for the high quality coffee produced by farmers from their local countries.
As Tadesse arrives at Seattle and London on his pursuit to look for potential fair price willing to pay customers, the effect of the multinational corporations becomes apparent. The international coffee exchanges, the double dealings of trade ministers at the WTO and the New York commodity traders bring to light the very vital questions that are prevalent and working against Tadesse in attaining lasting solutions for the problem faced by farmers in Ethiopia.
The film clearly brings out the facts of conditions and hardships faced by coffee farmers. It does not only bring about the conditions in Ethiopia but all the coffee farmers in the world. As the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia, he gets to see the exact world and living status of the coffee growers.
These individuals work tirelessly towards growing the best coffee in the legion. Despite of their unending effort and hard work, the coffee farmers have the poorest living standards in the Ethiopia. Referring to the fact that the international price for coffee is set at $140 billion the previous year, all coffee farmers including the small scale farmers are supposed to be having an assured, comfortable and settled lifestyle.
On the contrary, the exact producers find it hard to even survive as they are overloaded with work which comes in with very minimal payments. Mr. Burte Arba, a coffee farmer evidentially says that they earn very little amount of income (22 cents per kilo of coffee harvested). Legally, coffee harvesters are entitled to a payment of $1.10 per kilo of coffee harvested. This has greatly changed the morale of coffee farmers in the movie leading most of them to opt to farming other cash crops like chat which brings more income to the farmers than coffee.
The evidence of the unfair trading in the coffee cooperatives is clearly brought out as individuals are directly interviewed on the same matter. The film has highly helped to define the importance of having fair trades in every product that is exposed to the market. Lack of utmost good faith in trading, negatively impacts on the farmers who abandon the “non-profit making product” and shifts to other cash crops.
The argument that is presented in the film is worth belief. This is because the coffee farm has been trapped .The Ethiopian is a life hardship because the coffee producers are paid so unfairly. Finally, the economics of community is now collapsing due to the poor income that is earned from export of coffee in the world market. The argument that is presented in this film is worth the belief as it shows Africans country experience unfair trade in the world market. Though Ethiopia is among the leading producer of coffee, the farmers of this place continue to face great challenges as they earn less and they are discriminated in the world market and face unfair trade. From these film we can conclude that most of African country although they are in the forefront to produce they continue to face unfair trade. From the close evaluation of the film we can say that the argument is worth belief.
The films strongest points come when the general manager Tadesse Maskela of Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union is trying to promote coffee growing in this region. He visits coffee growing regions in Sidamo and Oromia in Borena Zone of the Oromia Region to promote the coffee growing and see the problems facing the farmers. He also travels to coffee processing center, coffee auction house and the union headquarters in Addis Ababa. He also ravels to England in order to promote Ethiopian Coffee by eliminating all the middlemen who exploits the farmers. The other scene also comes outs when the farmers are seen praying to God for higher price. The low price has affected coffee growing farmers and there are a lot of middlemen who also exploits farmers. One of the farmers explains that he will cut down all the coffee plants in order to plant the khat a stimulant due to low prices in the coffee sector.
The meeting in Cancun to document the meeting of the worlds Trade Organization also gave strength to the farmers to grow coffee as the meeting also addressed the African Problem which included low prices in Africa’s crops including the coffee. The Africans also refuses to enter into agreements that were against their interests the WTO talks which forcing Africans to go into Agreements against their wish also collapse and thus farmers growing coffee were thus promoted as they could grow and market their coffee at their own wish.
The films surprising point is when the farmers are seen taking part in coffee growing but are the ones who benefits less. T his is due to the exploitation of the farmers by the middlemen. The film’s weakest point is seen when it is presenting Africans refusing to sign agreements Of WTO which was advocating for farmers at some point in the trading of their commodities as this is a world trade organization.
