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The Dark Side of Chocolate

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The Dark Side of Chocolate is a 2010 documentary film about the exploitation and slavetrading of African children to harvest chocolate[1] still occurring nearly ten years after the cocoa industry pledged to end it.[2]

Background

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Cocoa plantations in Ghana and the Ivory Coast provide 80% of the world with chocolate, according to CorpWatch[3]. Chocolate producers around the world have been pressured to “verify that their chocolate is not the product of child labor or slavery.”[4]

In 2000, BBC aired Slavery: A Global Investigation which brought the issue of child labor in the cooca industry to light.[5]

In 2001, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association and its members signed a document that prohibited child trafficking and labor in the cocoa industry after 2008. Despite this effort, numerous children are still forced to work on cocoa plantations in Africa.

In 2009, Mars and Cadbury joined the Rainforest Alliance to fight against child labor. By 2020, these major chocolate manufacturers hope to completely eradicate child labor on any plantations from which they purchase their cocoa.[6]

Production

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The Dark Side of Chocolate was produced by Danish journalist Miki Mistrati who investigated the use of child labor and trafficked children in chocolate production.[7] It is filmed by U. Roberto Romano.

The filming started in Germany, where Mistrati asked vendors where their chocolate comes from. They then flew to Mali, where many of the children are from. Next, they explored the Ivory Coast where the cocoa plantations are located. The film ends in Switzerland where both the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Nestle headquarters are located.

Much of the footage in this documentary is recorded using a secret camera located in a bag Mistrati carries with him.

The documentary was released in 2010, first in Denmark, and later in Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, and Norway. [8]

Synopsis

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In 2001, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association formed an action plan entitled the Harkin-Engel Protocol that would aim to end the worse forms of child trafficking and slave labor.[9] However, child trafficking still continued in countries like West Africa. Authorities and companies denied it happened. Due to this conflicting outlook, the filmmakers went undercover to discover the truth. The film starts with its two filmmakers investigating independently by journeying to the western coast of Africa to the country of Mali, the country where children were rumored to be smuggled from and then transported to the Ivory Coast.[10] The team of journalists aimed to investigate human trafficking and child labor in the Ivory Coast and its effects on the worldwide chocolate industry.

The documentary starts in Cologne, Germany where Mistrati asks each vendor at a gathering of chocolate makers where their chocolate is imported from. Their responses lead to the conclusion that almost all chocolate is imported from somewhere in Africa. Their detective work lead them to find that Mali was trafficking children at bus stations by bribing them with work and money, or by kidnapping them from villages. Afterward, they are taken to towns near the border such as Zegoua, where another trafficker transports the children over the border on a dirt-bike. Then they are left with a third trafficker who sells the children to plantations.

The children, ranging in age from 10 to 15, are forced to do hard labor, physically abused, and paid poor wages, or none at all. Most of them stay with the plantation until they die, never seeing their families again. Child labor and trafficking is illegal according to the Harkin-Engel Protocol, an agreement that was signed by all major chocolate companies promising not to harvest their cocoa beans through means of child workers.[11]

When confronted with this issue, the corporate representatives of some of these companies denied all rumors of child labor and trafficking, but the investigations of the filmmakers proved brought to light the continued abuse of children on cocoa plantations.

Reception

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The rating designated to the documentary was a 7.3 out of 10 when asked by 92 users on IMDb (as of 1 November 2012).[12]

In 2012, The Dark Side of Chocolate was nominated for the Adolf Grimme Award in 2012 in the category of Information & Culture.[13][14] As a result of the documentary, child slavery in Africa was more predominantly focused on. A map was made as more research was compiled.[15] Sites like Fair Trade Advocacy are helping individuals who want to give back and help stop child slave labor in West Africa. Websites like this popped up every where on the Internet after The Dark Side of Chocolate was released.[16] Another website directly relating to the documentary is The Global Cocoa Project (GCP). The GCP is a high-impact poverty alleviation project focused on significantly improving the lives of cocoa farmers worldwide through the supply of equipment and basic needs. The secondary goal is to educate Americans about the realities of the cocoa industry and leverage the power of knowledgeable, concerned consumers to help make cocoa growing a profitable and sustainable occupation for farmers. Their website provides information and allows anyone the chance to host "chocolate tastings." These "chocolate tastings" are one of the ways a group or organization can raise awareness about the of African cocoa farmers and human trafficking while providing guests with chocolate.[17]

The completed documentary was shown to the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Switzerland, whose aim is to stop child labor in the chocolate industry.

Nestle and other companies declined an invitation to watch the film and to answer questions. In response, Mistrati set up a large screen next to Nestle’s headquarters in Switzerland, forcing employees to catch a glimpse of child labor in the cocoa industry.

Complete credits

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A film by Miki Mistrati & U. Roberto Romano

Journalist: Svante Karlshoej Ipsen

Script: Miki Mistrati

Editor: Andreas Birch Eriksen

Research: Ditte Nielsen, Svante Karlshoej Ipsen, Miki Mistrati, U. Roberto Romano, Youchaou Traor, Assoumane Maiga

Photographers: Henrik Bohn Ipsen, U. Roberto Romano, Niels Thastum

Assistant Photographer: Miki Mistrati

Color Grade: Andreas Birch Eriksen

Sound: Bobby Hess, Asser Borgen

Sound Assistant: Ingeborg Holten

Composer: Jonas Colstrup

Graphics: Benny Box

Narrator: David Bateson

Production Managers: Mathilde Hvid Lippmann, Joel Norup Soegaard

Production Assistants: Markus Ramlau, Helene Juncher Jensen, Rasmus Odgaard

Technical Assistance: Jonas Abildgaard

Translations: Helene Juncher Jensen, Tolkegruppen Koebenhavn, Prestige Network Ltd.

Webdesign: Kalle Graverholt

Special Thanks To: Osange Silou-Kieffer, Bernard Kieffer, Fabian Abitbol, ProShop Europe

Executive Producer: Helle Faber

Produced in Corportation With: Mette Hoffmann (DR2) & Barbara Biemann (NDR)

Produced With the Support From: Danida, Media, Pools and Lottery Funds of the Ministry of Education, Monique Dobretz (TSR), Axel Arno (SVT), Arto Hyvonen (YLE), ERR

By Bastard Film & TV [18] (located in Copenhagen, Denmark[19])

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References

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  1. ^ COLUMN: Chocolate industry built on blood and sweat of child slaves, Lonnie Allen, Central Michigan Life, 18 October 2010 (retrieved 29 October 2010)
  2. ^ Film Shows Cocoa Child Slavery Continues, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel, Fair Trade Blog, Global Exchange, 4 August 2010 (retrieved 29 October 2010)
  3. ^ AFRICA: The Dark Side of Chocolate, Kate McMahon, CorpWatch, 25 October 2005 (retrieved 29 October 2012)
  4. ^ The dark side of chocolate: Are candy companies doing enough to end child labor?, Sara Peck, "News Review", 05 August 2010 (retrieved 29 October 2012)
  5. ^ Ghana Consultative Meeting 2010, Tulane University, 11 June 2010 (retrieved 6 November 2012)
  6. ^ The dark side of chocolate: Are candy companies doing enough to end child labor?, Sara Peck, "News Review", 05 August 2010 (retrieved 29 October 2012)
  7. ^ Feature film exposes the dark side of treat, Jenny Jelen, Northern Life, 19 October 2010 (retrieved 20 October 2010)
  8. ^ The Dark Side of Chocolate Official Website
  9. ^ Chocolate and Slavery, Samlanchith Chanthavong, "Chocolate and Slavery", 2002
  10. ^ The Dark Side of Chocolate on CultureUnplugged
  11. ^ The dark side of chocolate: Are candy companies doing enough to end child labor?, Sara Peck, "News Review", 05 August 2010 (retrieved 29 October 2012)
  12. ^ The Dark Side of Chocolate - IMDb (retrieved 1 November 2012
  13. ^ Miki Mistrati - da.wikipedia.com
  14. ^ [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/miki-mistrati/2b/954/947 Miki Mistrati - LinkedIn
  15. ^ Map: Prevalence of Slavery in Western Africa
  16. ^ Fair Trade Advocacy
  17. ^ Global Cocoa Project
  18. ^ The Dark Side of Chocolate Official Website
  19. ^ Contact Database

Team

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