Black Gold

Director: Nick & Marc Francis

Ethiopia. The very heart of coffee production is also one of the poorest countries in the world. But in the western world, coffee is a very valuable and profitable trade good. The contrast between the riches of Starbucks and professional coffee tasters on the one hand, and the misery in which coffee growers live on the other, is striking. Black Gold starts from this realisation and underlines the contrast between both worlds, to then follow Tadesse Meskala. Tadesse is the general manager of an Ethiopian coffee farmers co-operative union, and travels the world to negociate fairer prices for his coffee growers.

Black Gold is more than your average documentary about fair trade. It is, first and foremost, a film about human beings - about the coffee growers, and about the conditions that they have to face. The directors, Nick and Marc Francis, manage to make us relate to the issue by not only stressing the contrast between multinational coffee trusts and the growers, but by giving a third point of comparison in the film. This point is ours, as western, everyday coffee consumers. This third, midpoint perspective is used as a bridge between two totally opposite worlds, and through it, the film manages to move us and make us think about our everyday habits. Ultimately, the film is about human beings - about us, and how we can change the world.

Cleverly, the documentary shows the necessity for change, and then proposes a solution - once again, the solution is human. It is one man, Tadesse, who is followed in his struggle to achieve fairer prices for the farmers. We can then identify with him and adopt his fight. And it shows how much can be achieved through fairer prices. Throughout the film, the stress is put on humanity to make an interesting case for fair trade without being patronising. The world of coffee, as is shown, works on three levels - the growers, the industry, and as midpoint, us, with whom lies the ultimate responsibility. Black Coffee is therefore a must-see - an essential thought-triggerer.

Pierre Schramm