documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
Cocoa plantations in Ghana and the Ivory Coast provide 80% of the world with chocolate, according to
CorpWatch
CorpWatch is a research group based in Berkeley, California, USA. Its stated mission is to expose corporate malfeasance and to advocate for multinational corporate accountability and transparency.
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. Chocolate producers around the world have been pressured to “verify that their chocolate is not the product of
child labor
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...
or
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
.”
In 2000,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
aired ''Slavery: A Global Investigation'' which brought the issue of child labor in the cocoa industry to light.
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
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
and Cadbury joined the Rainforest Alliance to fight against child labor. By 2020, these major chocolate manufacturers hoped to completely eradicate child labor on any plantations from which they purchase their cocoa. As of 2019, there are still 1.56 million child laborers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
Production
''The Dark Side of Chocolate'' was directed by Danish journalist, lawyer and writer Miki Mistrati who investigated the use of child labor and trafficked children in chocolate production. It was filmed by U. Roberto Romano and produced by Helle Faber.
The filming started in Germany, where Mistrati asked vendors where their chocolate comes from. They then flew to
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
, where many of the children are from. Next, they explored the Ivory Coast,
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
where the cocoa plantations are located. The film ends in Switzerland where both the
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
(ILO) and the Nestle headquarters are located.
Much of the footage in this documentary is recorded using a secret camera, but some of the material was deleted by the authorities.
The documentary was released in 2010, first in Denmark, and later in Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, and Norway.
Synopsis
In 2001, the
Chocolate Manufacturers Association
The National Confectioners Association is an American trade organization that promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these treats. NCA lobbies the American government in favor of the confectionery industry, evaluate ...
formed an action plan entitled the Harkin-Engel Protocol, an agreement that was signed by the major chocolate companies almost 10 years before the film was made, aimed at ending child trafficking and slave labor in the cocoa industry.
The documentary starts in Cologne,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
where Mistrati asks several chocolate company representatives whether they are aware of child labour in cocoa farms. In Mali, the film shows that children, having been promised paid work, are taken to towns near the border such as Zegoua, from 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 farmers for a starting price of 230 Euros each.
The children, ranging in age from 10 to 15, are forced to do hard and often hazardous labor, are often beaten, and according to the film's narrator most are never paid. The narrator also claims that most of them stay with the plantation until they die, never seeing their families again. No documentary evidence is shown to support the claims that the children are not paid or that they are made to work until they die. The Harkin-Engel Protocol promised to end the use of child labour.
When confronted with this issue, corporate representatives denied all rumors of child labor and trafficking, but the investigations of the filmmakers brought to light the continued widespread use of trafficked child slaves on cocoa plantations.
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...
and other companies declined an invitation to watch the film and to answer questions. In response, Mistrati set up a large screen next to Nestlé’s headquarters in Switzerland, forcing employees to catch a glimpse of child labor in the cocoa industry.
As a closing edit window to the film, during the credits roll, we see the local police arrive, to ask why they are showing the film outside Nestlé's Head Office in Vevey, Switzerland. The police ask if the film is 'for or against Nestlé'. The reply is "It is not against". After checking their documents the policeman says "we turn it off", referring to showing the film.
Reception
In 2012, ''The Dark Side of Chocolate'' was nominated for the
Adolf Grimme Award
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.Miki Mistrati - LinkedIn /ref>
Personnel
* Creators: Miki Mistrati, U. Roberto Romano
* Producer: Helle Faber
* 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
* Associates: Osange Silou-Kieffer, Bernard Kieffer, Fabian Abitbol, ProShop Europe
* Partners: Mette Hoffmann (DR2) & Barbara Biemann (NDR)
* Support From: Danida, Media, Monique Dobretz (TSR), Axel Arno (SVT), Arto Hyvonen (YLE), ERR Jaspreet Singh Syan