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יום ראשון, 16 בדצמבר 2007, 13:15 מאת: רחל אינגבר, מערכת וואל!
Hello Friends,
Here is an article that was published on an Israel coffee website. Our blog is not letting me post the article without having the Hebrew characters all jumbled up. So if you are interested in reading the article, please do so at this link: http://coffee.walla.co.il/?w=/944/1210154
קנו קפה - השקיעו בחינוך
Coffee cup of peace
By : AMY CHEW
2007/12/04
Ellen Friedland found a story of love and hope in a packet of aromatic coffee powder.
Seeds of peace are being planted on a coffee plantation by Jewish, Muslim and Christian farmers who believe religion should unite all people. Now a film is being made about them, writes AMY CHEW.
AMERICAN documentary film producer Ellen Friedland had grown tired of the news: war in the Middle East, natural disasters, sectarian violence, …the human race seemingly unable to live with each other.
When she attended a Jewish festival at a synagogue more than a year ago, she was given a packet of coffee powder so aromatic it made her look twice at the packet.
On it was a picture of an African farmer with the words Mirembe Kawomera Coffee (“delicious peace coffee” in Luganda, the most widely-spoken language in Uganda). Intrigued, Friedland discovered the coffee was grown by Muslims, Christians and Jewish farmers who lived and worked side by side in the southeastern Ugandan district of Mbale. (Coffee exports account for 90 per cent of Uganda’s international trade revenue.)
“I thought this was a great story to tell the world,” said Friedland in an interview in Los Angeles last month. “I was so tired of all the bad news in the world. People need to hear positive stories,” she added.
Friedland then spent the next six months trying to coax members of the co-operative to meet her and to convince them she was not out to exploit them. When they finally agreed, Friedland and cinematographer Curt Fissel flew to Mbale to film and produce a documentary on the farmers.
The documentary, Delicious Peace Grows In An Ugandan Coffee Bean, is currently in production, for release late next year.
Amidst the lush greenery and majestic mountains of Mbale, the team discovered a wonderful story of plurality, acceptance, and unity. In a continent known for starving millions, civil wars, and brutal dictators, the Muslim, Christian and Jewish farmers of Mirembe Kawomera toil together under the sweltering skies to plant and harvest coffee trees.
In doing so, the farmers hope to sow the seeds of peace.
J. J. Keki, director of Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative, says in the documentary’s trailer: “I brought the idea to my friends, Muslims and Christians, and said we should make a co-operative selling our coffee — as well as spreading peace in the world.
“Today, the world is in pain. We want to prove to the world that a better way is to be proud of who you are, respect each other and make something great together.”
In the 1970s, the country’s brutal dictator, Idi Amin, attacked Jewish people and various African tribes during his rule. He also expelled most Asian Ugandans in 1972 and brought the country’s economy to its knees.
Friedland said: “During the years of Idi Amin’s rule, he built prejudices amongst the people. These people (Mbale farmers) said ‘let’s break it down’. They are so accepting of one another. They are a great example to the rest of the world.”
After years of conflict, the farmers want peace for their families and community so that they can improve their lives. They believe that religion should never be a divisive issue but a force that unites all people.
“Where there is war, there is no development so we want to spread the gospel that we should unite,” says Elias Hasulube, a co-operative member.
“Let us not fight one another, because of what? Religion? We all believe in one God,” he said.
The co-operative comprises 570 farming families with many more eager to join them.
Crucial to the success of Mirembe Kawomera is the co-operative’s partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee, a California-based fair trade coffee roaster and distributor that pays the farmers over US$1.41 (RM4.76) a pound for organic coffee.
“The importance of Thanksgiving Coffee is that it is one of the organisations which accepted to buy coffee from Uganda,” said Mirembe’s Keki. “They also take the time to tell about our programme of promoting peace in the world and also to get us many customers.”
Thanksgiving Coffee distributes the coffee primarily through interfaith circles co-operating to spread the message of “delicious peace” with the hope that the model can be replicated elsewhere.
“I see this interfaith co-operative something that every coffee-growing community hopes for, that is economic independence,” said Thanksgiving Coffee’s chief executive Paul Katzeff.
“From that comes empowerment, from that comes children who are educated, from that come doctors and lawyers, social workers, water experts,” he added.
The documentary will highlight the Mirembe Kawomera venture, focusing on the experience of the farmers watching patiently to see the seeds of the co-op grow and spread in various directions.
Friedland started work on the documentary a year ago. “We hope to distribute the documentary some time towards the end of 2008,” she said.
“These people (coffee farmers) really hope this (documentary) will be successful. I can’t let them down, I can’t turn around,” she said.
A delightful trailer on the Mirembe Kawomera documentary, with inspiring interviews of the farmers can be viewed at www.DeliciousPeaceGrows.com or at www.youtube.com.
http://www.nst.com.my:80/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Features/20071204095623/Article/indexF_html