Inspired to act after watching Black Gold? (film review here). This post’s part of a series for people who’ve seen (or want to see) the film and want to act.

[I got overwhelmed trying to cover everything from the interview with the filmmakers, and so I've decided to write it in snippets, each followed with a specific action for activists.]

In 1984 — when I was 5 — pictures of starving Ethiopians were all over the news. Things seemingly got better — But in 2003, we started hearing about Ethiopians starving, again.

Why was this happening again? This is the question Marc and Nick, filmmakers who made Black Gold, set out to answer when making Black Gold.

Says Nick, who had spent some time teaching English in Northern Ethiopia 10 years ago, things seemed worse this time around in some ways. Back in 1984, coffee farmers had been somewhat better off, and were able to lend some help their fellow citizens. But in 2003, some of the coffee farmers were starving themselves.

Due to the inequities of the world trade system, coffee farmers are doing badly, even though Ethiopia’s known to produce some of the yummiest coffees in the world — and more people in the western countries are willing to pay a lotta money for yummy coffee.

For those inspired by the film —

Action step I: Get others to go see Black Gold, so we can raise public consciousness about this issue. The film’s both informative and entertaining — and pretty! :)

For those in LA — We have exactly 3 more screenings of Black Gold at the Arclight Hollywood! The dates and times are here — Get to the theater now! :)

For those in New York and Seattle — On October 6, Black Gold will come to your city! So New Yorkers and Seattlites, do what you can to get people to the — the film does in your town will determine whether or not Black Gold gets a wider release in more cities.

Some ideas: Join the New York Fair Trade Coalition if you’re in NY, or the Community Alliance for Global Justice or Fair Trade Puget Sound if you’re in Seattle, and work with others to get the word out. Let your local fair trade coffee roaster or coffee shop know about the film, and suggest that they (1) provide free coffee at a showing or two or (2) offer a free cuppa coffee to those who’ve seen the movie (like Groundwork Coffee did in LA). Send out emails to your friends — or just drag them to the theater :P

For those in Washington DC [added 8/25/06] — Watch the film at the Amnesty International Film Festival, at the National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington, DC at 1 pm on Saturday, September 16. Take yr friends with you :) [via Rodney]

For those elsewhere – Sign up to get Black Gold’s newsletters; this way, you’ll know when the film comes to your town!

Update: Here’s part II: Make it local.

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