I love chocolate, though I do eat it in consistent moderation. And while I'm an atheist, I can still enjoy religious holidays like Easter for the harmony and connection they bring. But whether Easter for you means your Messiah's Crucifixion or confectionery, or both, as you tuck with relish into your chocolate eggs and rabbits this year, spare a long thought for those whose intense labour brought them to you.
By that I obviously don't mean a huge rabbit living on the moon. I mean the millions of impoverished adults and mainly children forced to work in cocoa production in Africa's slave trade. I realise what a delicate issue, and I don't know any exact issues anyway, so I'll try not to be manipulative here (hence the lack of photos). The epicentre of African slave cocoa production is the Ivory Coast, which borders the North Atlantic. This productivity method is Africa's equivalent of sweatshops in Asia. Very low pay, in very harsh conditions, doing physically draining work for often abusive employers. Need I say more?
Western chocolatiers like Cadbury, to their credit, have made efforts in recent years to counter these origins of their products (or so they say). But they should all pull their socks up higher, especially as employers in their own ways themselves.
Nelson Mandela once said, "Any nation that does not care for and protect all of its children does not deserve to be called a nation." He was too right there - and let's not forget, he was an African himself.
But as I said, I love my chocolate (in moderation), and so can you. Just always remember how it likely came your way. Happy Easter!
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