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Worldfest 2003 - Fair Trade Festival |
Sunday, 18 May, 2003 - Upper Barrakka Gardens
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Celebrating the Fascinating World of Fair Trade |
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Vince Caruana Coordinator, WFTD |
Celebrating the Fascinating World of Fair Trade
On Sunday, 18 May, 2003, there will be a fair trade
festival between 10.00am and 8.30pm at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in
Valletta, to celebrate World Fair Trade Day. (Poster by James Farrugia)
The special guests of Worldfest 2003 will be The Katambù Sound Factory, a percussion ensemble lead by percussionist Renzo Spiteri, that will be playing at 8.00pm.
This fair trade festival celebrating the cultures of the world, is being organized by Malta’s only fair trade shop L-ARKA, which is a non-profit initiative located at 306, St. Paul’s Street, Valletta. There will be a number of Fair Trade stalls presenting foodstuffs, handicrafts, clothes, costume jewellery, cds of world music, and a host of other fair traded ethnic products from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin and Central America.
Worldfest 2003 is
being organized by the world shop L-Arka in collaboration with the
Med2000 project financed by the European Union.
The Katambù Sound Factory will be the special guests at the Worldfest fair trade festival being held throughout the day at the Upper Barrakka Gardens on Sunday, 18 May, 2003. They will be playing at 8.00pm.
Led by Maltese multi-percussion player Renzo Spiteri, this group is not just a percussion ensemble. It is a concept that brings together different forms of artistic expression, such as music, design and physical action. In fact, The Katambù Sound Factory's presentation on stage reveals an energy-packed performance based on original compositions by Renzo Spiteri himself on materials that are more commonly found in industrial plants such as oil tanks, car rims, metal sheets, scaffolding piping and so on. The organisation and orchestration of soundscapes produced from the materials result in one of the most exciting and original performances in its genre.
A strong impact on the audience is one of The Katambù Sound Factory's priorities and the ensemble is confident that with all the right elements put together, the performance will be an outstanding event.
Celebrating World Fair Trade Day:
A Global Movement That Is Here to Stay
‘Fair Trade is for sustainability’ is the message of the Fair Trade movement on the second World Fair Trade Day. This global event promotes a positive and long term vision for trade, to be shared at events across the world from Kathmandu to Canada.
Trade should be the door through which to escape from poverty, not the one to lock people in. Trade should be environmentally sustainable - ensuring preservation of the planet for the benefit of all. The existing international trade regime is entrenching poverty, destroying the environment; to continue on this course is not an option. Fair Trade is proof that if the rules are fair, trade can be sustainable means to enriching producers and consumers on opposite sides of the world.
World Fair Trade Day 2003 comes in the year that the Fair Trade movement is bigger and wider than ever. ‘IFAT’, the International Federation for Alternative Trade, represents Fair Trade producer associations, exporters, importers and retailers in more than 55 countries. This year, May 17th will see more than a thousand events across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Fair Traders in the UK will also be taking part. Check www.wftday.org for further details of their plans.
"Those of us engaged in Fair Trade know that there is an alternative and better way to trade and do business, that puts people first and ensures that their work is properly recognised and rewarded,” says Carol Wills, Executive Director of IFAT. “Fair Trade puts human values, dignity, dialogue and respect at the heart of its work. We want to see an end to the greed and exploitation that results in impoverished lives and a spoilt environment. World Fair Trade Day is a great opportunity to share our conviction that Fair Trade can make a difference to people's lives everywhere.”
High income countries receive 80 cents of every US dollar generated in the global economy; low income countries, with the most extreme concentrations of poverty, with 40% of the world’s population, receive just 3 cents. In the coffee sector, farmers and workers are at the raw end of a price crash so severe the World Bank has stated, “If current trends continue as predicted by many, a coffee crisis could evolve into a broad social and environmental crisis.” World Fair Trade Day coincides with a high level meeting of the World Bank and International Coffee Organisation on May 19th, at which members of the Fair Trade movement such as Oxfam will be calling for the major players in the coffee trade to work together to provide long-term sustainable solutions.
Fair Trade is trade that is based on
dialogue, transparency and respect. It contributes to sustainable
development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the
rights of marginalized producers and workers, especially in the South.
Overseas, the highlights of World Fair Trade Day in 2003 will include live
music performances and parades, exhibitions, meetings, debates, discussions,
samplings, promotions and activities for children across Asia, Africa,
Europe, North America and Japan. Traditional crafts producers in Nepal will
rally on the main streets of Kathmandu while the Zimbabwean Fair Trade
company Dezign Inc., despite a tumultuous year, will celebrate the opening
of its own retail shop at Victoria Falls. Across the USA, Canada and Europe
there will be special Fair Trade fairs, festivities and in-store promotions.
The Finnish Fair Trade sailing ship, Estelle, will be in dock in Helsinki to
coincide with the flamboyant World Village festival, welcoming curious
visitors for on-board tours.
Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust will again commemorate World Fair Trade Day, this year with a day of celebrations to be held on the 18th of May at the Upper Barakka Gardens, Valletta. This follows on last year’s success – where a number of volunteers, schools and NGOs teamed up together to ensure a better quality of life for thousands of marginalized communities in the majority world.
Throughout
the day L-ARKA, Malta’s only fair trade shop which is a non-profit
initiative located at 306, St. Paul’s Street, Valletta will be moving out of
Valletta and setting anchor at the various Fair Trade stalls that will be
set up at the Upper Barakka. These stalls will be full of foodstuffs,
handicrafts from various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin and Central
America and clothes, among others, produced under international Fair Trade
criteria. The whole day will be brought to an end by a live perfomance
featuring Renzo Spiteri and the Katambù percussion group.
One very successful initiative held last year was the promotion of Fair
Trade through sports – where the traditional approach of distributing
sponsor sheets asking for small amounts of money was replaced with sponsor
sheets promoting particular fair trade products. This year again schools are
being asked to help promote Fair Trade through sports activities – both on
an in-house level or between schools – as it suits best the particular needs
of individual schools. Nothing better than the message from Carol Wills can
explain why we are renewing this initiative again this year.
"Those of us engaged in Fair Trade know that there is an alternative and
better way to trade and do business, a way that puts people first and
ensures that their work is properly recognised and rewarded. World Fair
Trade Day is a great opportunity to share our conviction that Fair Trade can
make a difference to people's lives everywhere. We want to see an end to the
greed and exploitation that results in impoverished lives and a spoilt
environment. Fair Trade puts human values, dignity, dialogue and respect at
the heart of its work."
Through participating in this second World Fair Trade Day students will be
giving some of their time - while having fun - to honour the achievements of
grassroots farmers and craftspeople who create quality products for the
market and to tell consumers how their spending power can make a difference.
The official opening of the scheme of promoting fair trade through sports
will be held during the celebrations of World Fair Trade day, where
representatives from the participating schools will be invited.
Further details can be obtained from L-Arka (2124 4865); Vince Caruana (2149
1373 - shanti@global.net.mt); and Nathalie Grima (2137 6942 -
kkg@maltaforum.org). It is also possible for an educator from KKĠ to visit
the school concerned.
Vince Caruana
Coordinator, Med2000 Local Action Group
April 2003
See also WorldFest 2002
