Cacao and capitalism (notes)
Contemplations on cacao, chocolate, colonialism.
Under the cacao tree admiring the new growth and contemplating where we go from here.
New growth on our largest cacao tree. Photo by Steven Casanova.
Capitalism was imposed on the world by Europe, for the benefit of Europe. Free markets and access to innovation were never permitted to Black and brown people, nor the countries we eventually constituted, which are now called the “global south.” These countries have been handcuffed in how they are permitted to participate in the world. They’ve been only allowed to focus on certain cash crops and raw materials, which both destroyed their internal relations and made them completely dependent on foreigners.
Entire nations have been used as overseas plantations and mines - societies whose main collective purpose was to serve a tiny part of the way of life in the “global north”.
Oil, rubber, minerals, coffee, bananas, chocolate.
Contemplations on cacao,
chocolate,
and colonization.
Contemplating the absence of African and Latin American chocolate from supermarkets. And how the Dutch are both the world’s biggest importer and exporter of cocoa, yet a cacao tree could never be grown in their cold. This is not a mistake.
European capitalists fought to abolish the slavery their forefathers implemented in order to further capitalism. The power dynamics and goals of exploitation did not change. Slavery still exists to serve the chocolate industry. Now Fair Trade organizations and the brands that they certify preach that a new capitalism will liberate us for good.
Hershey’s Park, Pennsylvania was supposed to be a new version of a company town, not like the shantytowns they ran in Cuba. The story of chocolates’ development is that of colonial “civilizing”.
Contemplating on how Alex and I fit into this system. On how we can react to the realities of the ongoing extraction and exploitation.
Its good to share. Es buenocompartir.
The cacao will be ready soon. New article in the works.