When Tim Burton's summer blockbuster "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" opens July 15th, all eyes will be on the real chocolate industry and their response to continuing child labor abuses on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast.
A peek behind the sourcing practices of companies like Mars, Hershey and Nestle -- maker of the Wonka Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight -- reveals not a magical candy forest, but a real human tragedy as children as young as nine continue to toil under unimaginable conditions on West African cocoa farms.
The films release comes at a pivotal moment in the discussion about the real chocolate industry's response to child slavery on cocoa farms. July 1st 2005 marks the final deadline for the Harken-Engel protocol on child slavery. After four years of foot dragging, it is clear the chocolate industry has failed to live up to its commitments under the protocol and once again the possibility of binding legislation is on the table.
Join Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Fund, Canadian Fair Trade Network, United Students for Fair Trade and Peace Diviners International in making the most of the occasion by organizing a creative action in your town, July 15th.
Hand Out "Make My Wonka Bar Fair Trade" Leaflets
We have full color "Make My Wonka Bar Fair Trade" leaflets for folks to distribute at screenings of the movie. The leaflets call upon Nestle USA -- maker of the fabled Wonka Bar and one of the largest importers of cocoa from the Ivory Coast, to do right by the characters in the film and go fair trade. To order leaflets please send your name, address and phone number to jamie@globalexchange.org or call 415-575-5538 or download and reproduce your own here!
Stage a Creative Action to Get Media Attention for Your Event
Dress up like the characters from the film or create giant Wonka Bar visuals to add color and energy to your action. The film and book provide myriad hooks for your group to formulate its own songs and chants the virtues of fair trade and why Willy Wonka and our hero Charlie might suggest that the major chocolate companies be thrown down the chute for not living up to their responsibility to end child labor on cocoa farms. You can use our Oompa Loompa songs and sample press release or write your own!
Talk About Fair Trade at Your Summer Camp or Youth Group
Teachers, counselers and youth group leaders! This is a terrific opportunity to introduce your kids to activism and an easy and fun way to talk about where their chocolate comes from. Global Exchange has myriad resources for teachers and other educators to talk to their children about fair trade and empower them to help their peers on cocoa farms around the world. Whether you are reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in your classroom, taking a group of kids to see the film or just looking for a way to get out of the sun and into the cool theater this summer, our fair trade materials for kids can help you make the most of the experience. Fair trade lesson plans, teaching materials and action guides for children of all ages are available here!
Can't Make it to the Film? Write, Call and Email Nestle from Home!
Global Exchange has set up a fax action for folks who can't make the demos to send a message to Nestle CEO, Joe Waller from the comfort of their own homes. Have a wireless laptop? Then you can do it from your lawn chair! Take a second to send a fax to Mr. Waller right now and let him know that we aren't satisfied with Nestles efforts to end child labor to date and insist they take the problem seriously by switching to fair trade. You can use our sample letter or write your own!
For more information on how to get involved or to order "Make My Wonka Bar Fair Trade" postcards please contact Jamie Guzzi at Global Exchange, 415-575-5538 or email Jamie@globalexchange.org.
For more information on the dates and times of screenings of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in your town please visit fandango.com