Fairtrade Fortnight attempts record

Fairtrade Fortnight arrived on campus in Week 9 and 10, encouraging students to get involved in demanding fairer wages and better standards of living for farmers in the developing world.

Events took place across campus, and a stall on the Piazza was featured which aimed to increase awareness of Fairtrade, inviting students to decorate flags and become part of the Guinness Book of World Record’s longest chain of bunting.

The Students’ Union called for students to ‘bring out that creative side!’ and help beat the current record of 2,696 metres, with Fairtrade hoping to reach 4,350 metres, equating to more than two and a half miles of flags. The cotton bunting allocated to Warwick has been used up and will be strung around campus in Week 10 before being sent off to the Fairtrade Foundation and set alongside flags from around the world, where the length of the bunting will be measured.

The ‘This is Africa’ Society hosted an inter-societies women’s football tournament where four intercultural teams took part to raise money for Mount Elimu, the charity of the fortnight. ‘This is Africa’ were victorious, beating the ‘Hindu Society’ 3-0 in a friendly, six-a-side match.

A chocolate party was also held where MADE, an independent charitable organisation spoke to students about the inequalities faced by developing nations.

Juliana Sampana, a Fairtrade producer from Ghana, visited Warwick as part of the awareness week in collaboration with ‘This is Africa’ and Women’s Campaigns and spoke to students about how Fairtrade helps women, followed by a question and answer session.

Event organiser Fatema Karim said that the fortnight was “full of interesting discussions and debates”, but more still needs to be done, as “what is currently being practised in world markets is not free trade by definition, with high one-way trade barriers and distorting subsidies [imposed on poorer farmers]”.

It is because of such reasons that it is protested that Fairtrade is so necessary; Vince Cable claimed that the developing world loses £154.8 million each year because of the price-dampening effect of US and EU subsidies to their own farmers.

The Foundation works tirelessly to counter this injustice. In Ghana, 45,000 cocoa farmers are supported by Fairtrade, who offer stability and the opportunity to invest in the cocoa they harvest, as well as funding schools and amenities like clean water pumps. This work will continue, and Fairtrade Fortnight has attempted to open students’ eyes to the difficult task faced by the Organisation.

Fatema concluded by commenting: “It has been a great two weeks, and so much fun. I want to thank everyone who helped, volunteered and attended.”