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Local Store Promotes Fair Trade
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from The Review
BY JIA DIN, Staff Reporter
May 11, 2004 - African dancing and drumming, free food samples and a
variety of fair trade crafts from around the world were part of Village
Import's celebration of World Fair Trade Day Saturday.
Carol Boncelet, owner of Village Imports, said many stores
around the world also held events Saturday to promote fair trade and this is
the third year her store has participated in the occasion.
"It's important to let our customers know that it's a
worldwide movement and to expose fair trade products," she said. "All
over the world people are doing the same kind of thing."
Fair trade respects the people who make the products and the
environment, she said. There is no child labor, sweatshops or bad environmental
practices involved in fair trade.
Janet Peck, who has studied African dance extensively and
teaches classes in Newark once a week, led an in-store West African dance
demonstration before a crowd of approximately 45 people.
Peck and her West African dance and drum ensemble, called
N'Bönyé, danced to the beats of African drums while the audience clapped along.
"These dances are very expressive," she said.
"It's a nice opportunity to let one's own self be expressed through the
movements."
Peck and her group performed variations of two traditional
dances: an initiation dance and the dance of seduction. Audience members were
encouraged to participate in learning the steps, and many had fun trying to
emulate Peck's fast movements.
Senior Amanda Tuttle said it was by chance that she came to
the event but was glad that she did.
She said she was glad to have participated in the quick West
African dance lesson.
"I just jumped up there because I like to dance
anyway," she said. "I think I'm going to check out the class because
it was a lot of fun."
Attendants enjoyed free samples of fair trade coffee and
chocolate from countries such as Ethiopia, Colombia and Ecuador as they browsed
the store's assortment of unique products.
World music, such as Asian, Hispanic and Brazilian songs,
played in the background as attendants shopped and conversed.
Boncelet said more than 60 countries are represented as
producers of the merchandise in the store. People in small villages form
cooperatives and handcraft the items, which ensures a fair wage and a safe work
environment.
Graduate student Liz Robinson, an employee of Village
Imports, said shopping at the store in the United States can help people in
undeveloped countries.
"Fair trade is a good way to improve the world just by
being a conscious consumer," she said. "A lot of people don't think
about where their products are coming from and don't think about who made
them."
Alessandra Bravo, a representative for Lucuma Designs, said
she was very pleased with the event, as it is important to educate the
community about fair trade.
Lucuma Designs aims to help artisans mainly from Peru export
their products and earn better wages.
"We're trying to present an alternative model that's
workable and we're hoping other people will follow and make a difference,"
she said. "It is possible that there can be a more just world."
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