Reclaiming Cocoa: Film Screening

Why do most cocoa farmers in Ghana never get to taste the chocolate made from their own beans? For over a century, the value of Ghana's cocoa has been diverted up North – where multinational chocolatiers make billions of dollars each year. “Reclaiming Cocoa” peels back the layers of this complex industry, revealing deep cracks in its promises of sustainability and traceability: We meet the Narteys, a family whose children toil on cocoa farms instead of going to school. As a Swiss chocolate giant boasts ethical practices, undercover footage exposes a system rife with exploitation and deception. Tombstones of Swiss missionaries remind us of those who first brought cocoa to Ghana – and built a colonial value chain that endures to this day. Providing possible solutions, the film portrays local entrepreneurs and start-ups that turn cocoa into alternative products. "Reclaiming Cocoa" is a call to action – to rethink how we consume, to challenge historic narratives, and to imagine a world where value is shared equitably.

After the screening there will be a panel discussion with the cast members Nana Aduna II (Ohene Cocoa) and Bright Debrah Adjei (Imperial Child Rights and Women Empowerment Organisation) as well as with representatives of Koa and the Yayra Glover Group. Philippe Stalder, the film's director will also be present. The companies portrayed in the film (Bioko Treats, Ohene Cocoa, Nokware, Koa & Yayra Glover Group) will offer their cocoa products and the painting of Whitney Chinonye Ernest, who did the artwork for the film, will be exhibited. 

Reclaiming Cocoa's teaser has been awarded "Best Documentary Short" at the 2022 Royal Cocoa International Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria.

Date: Friday 31st January 2025

Time: 6pm

Venue: Amphitheatre