An Eye-opener

Yesterday J and I went to go see a movie with some friends. I had suggested the new Indiana Jones movie, but my friend suggested a documentary, and since Indy tickets are hard to get (official opening is next weekend and this weekend was a special preview) I agreed to see "Black Gold" (see trailer below), a movie about an Ethiopian coffee cooperative of farmers and how the world price is set for something I, personally, drink every morning.

Actually, I was already aware of most of these issues before seeing the film. I've also bought Fair Trade coffee before, or bought from cooperatives at international fairs to get coffee from Uganda, Laos, Colombia and other bean growers. The thing I liked about this movie was that they focused on one group, in Ethiopia, and did a good job at explaining the issues, particularly the point that Africa needs more "trade", not just "aid".