WHY DON'T I DRINK COFFEE?

On the night of February 24th, I tip-toed into the back of the darken classroom because I was a bit late. I quickly unloaded myself with heavy winter gears and personal effects. I docked in on the wide table in great anticipation to see Black Gold: A Film About Coffee & Trade. I had read the excerpt two-weeks earlier and if you know me by now, you will know that I wouldn't miss viewing this documentary simply because I am passionate about global disparities. And when it comes to Africa, nothing else matters, yes in deed I'm Afro-Centric!

As I sat there, so many thoughts kept pacing back and forth in my minds eyes. Not only do I very well relate to these issues because it was barely a decade and a half ago that I found myself in similar situation but I feel the need to continuously contribute my "two cents" as a citizen of the world. I keep hearing people say, "you are not gonna change the world" but which is better? To sit supinely and do nothing or at least try? This is reality, every day common people all over the world are trying to make a difference even though their efforts will probably never be recognized. Regardless, people are naturally passionate about their interest, and whether there is an incentive or not, some of us will continue to do for it is what complete our purpose in life.

So back to the "raging thoughts" tumbling up and down in my mind's eyes as I sat there watching Black Gold. They ranged from the General Disagreements on Tariffs and Trade, Western Trade Organization, Unfair Trade Coffee House, persistent apathy amongst university students in Canada, and worse of all, poor perceptions of Africa in the West. Well actually, the lists was longer but I refused to end up in the mental ward constantly thinking about Africa's complex issues and how to innovate ways to contribute towards positive change. So, I settled on this thought - why don't I drink coffee?

Actually, it was not this thought provoking documentary that stimulated my desire to not drink coffee, but rather a childhood experience. Once upon the time, when my Mama didn't have much she mandated us (her children) to value education. One way I heeded to my mother's wisely advice was by staying up late to study - as young as I was. There were two things to try - kola nuts and Nescafe (come to think of it, the nuts had caffeine equally potent as those found in coffee to suppress sleep for "x" number of hours). One particular event will distant me from coffee forever. I remember, I was in 8th grade or so, I had a final exam coming up and so I bought a tin of Nescafe for the week. It was said amongst us "nerd" those days - that if you wanted it to work well, then you must go espresso-style  - black coffee no sugar no cream - (even though I had no idea what an espresso was back then).

Now you have to understand that the need to stay up was important for me because in addition to waking up 2 AM most week-days to help my Mama make pastries for extra income, I had to find a way to keep my eyes open to study - 4hrs of sleep per night was too luxirious. Well, by the end of the week, my breaking point was set. I will hate coffee for the rest of my life because I literally overdosed with it. Even the smell of it from other's breathe turns me away. After watching Black Gold, I begun to appreciate more the benefits of not drinking unfair trade coffee. So, I encourage you to hold-off on the addictions a little bit, before you run into the coffee shop every morning, afternoon and night (and God knows how often) why not pause and ask yourself, how are the farmers doing?