Blog

We were delighted at the 2023 AGM in September to welcome a new member of The FIG Tree team, Joanna Fianu who has agreed to become our new membership Secretary

Joanna says: As a long time supporter of The FIG Tree and Bruce’s work with fair trade, I’m keen to start working with the members and supporters and making sure we have the best chance of fulfilling our goals of delivering chocolate making workshops to children and adults in both the UK and Ghana. I’m currently working with my own social enterprise All’s Fair with my husband Samuel who is project managing the refurbishment of the Co-operative House in New Koforidua, Africa’s first fair trade town, which was built by Bruce and friends over a decade ago. We’re turning one of the rooms into a chocolate kitchen for the use of the community who are mostly cocoa farmers.

I’ll be writing the newsletters and I have lots of ideas for increasing engagement. One of my first innovations is making all memberships last a calendar year from 1 January to 31 December so look out for me contacting you all in the new year with reminders.

Thanks to all 51 backers my book ‘Not in My Lifetime – A Fair Trade Campaigner’s Journal’ will now be published. We raised in excess of our target and the extra funding will be used to purchase more books, with the profit from sales going to The FIG Tree, Oxfam and our very good friends at the Lorna Young Foundation who all do terrific work.

The book will be launched making it available to purchase internationally on 22nd November 2021 – the 20th anniversary since Garstang was officially recognised as the world’s first Fair Trade Town and the 10th anniversary of The FIG Tree opening in Garstang.

As the founder of the International Fair Trade Towns movement the book gives my personal account of the movement and how too, it influenced the setting up of The FIG Tree International Fair Trade Centre in Garstang and the development of our Fair Trade/slave trade projects and chocolate workshops. It is not a diary recording events as they happened, nor is it just an autobiography providing an account of my life. It is instead, a Journal; an inspirational and aspirational piece of writing, exploring my ideas as they took shape, while describing the events that led to the creation and further development of the movement.

As the founder of the International Fair Trade Towns movement I have written a book giving my personal account of the movement and how too, it influenced the setting up of The FIG Tree International Fair Trade Centre in Garstang and the development of our Fair Trade/slave trade projects and chocolate workshops. The book is entitled ‘Not in My Lifetime – A Fair Trade Campaigner’s Journal’. It is not a diary recording events as they happened, nor is it just an autobiography providing an account of my life. It is instead, a Journal; an inspirational and aspirational piece of writing, exploring my ideas as they took shape, while describing the events that led to the creation and further development of the movement.

If we reach our fundraising target everything is in place to be able to launch the book on 22nd November 2021 – the 20th anniversary since Garstang was officially recognised as the world’s first Fair Trade Town. The book will then be available to purchase internationally with any profits made from book sales going to The FIG Tree, Oxfam and our very good friends at the Lorna Young Foundation who all do terrific work.

To find out how you can help get the book published and win some fabulous rewards visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brucecrowther/getting-the-fair-trade-towns-story-into-print

Bruce Crowther, FIG Tree Director

31st May 2021

We at The FIG Tree fully support the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement following the brutal killing of George Floyd. We do however, completely disassociate ourselves from any violence taking place during these crucial protests. Violence cannot be justified and runs counter to the cause, as such violence is unfair.

We understand the frustration and anger that led to the destruction of the Colston statue in Bristol. We empathise with those whose ancestors may have suffered as a consequence of Colston’s actions having to see the man glorified as “one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city“? We are saddened that the democratic appeals to ‘amend’ the wording on a plaque were ignored. When peaceful protests are ignored, they inevitably and perhaps understandably lead to violence; politicians should take note.

At The FIG Tree we have always encouraged learning from the past in order to move forward. A message depicted by the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol ‘Sankofa’. Statues are of importance in reminding us of our history; whether it be good or bad. We believe that rather than ‘erasing’ history, the Black Lives Movement is making history however, and the removal of statues is another part of that process. History is often distorted, and attempts have even been made to erase it. This is particularly true with regard to the British Empire, colonialism and slavery.

In our workshops we don’t wish to make our students feel guilty, ashamed or even apologetic about our past. We do, however, want them to acknowledge that past and most importantly its legacy. Slave traders justified their brutal deeds by dehumanising Africans; referring to them as ‘Black Cattle’. This contributed to the racism that survives today. We don’t want our students to condemn or hate the slave traders but understand that their actions were not only legal but broadly acceptable at the time. Perhaps in the future people will look back at our actions, which although legal and acceptable today may be viewed very differently tomorrow?

At The FIG Tree we believe that all lives are equal and matter. We continue to reflect on all we do and the way we present our ideas in response to the many varieties of inequality and unfairness that exist in our world. It is currently clear however, that the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement seeks to eradicate an absolutely unacceptable structural inequality that remains embedded in our society despite years of legislation and dialogue. As such the Black Lives Matter movement has our full support for any peaceful action taken.

What we are seeing today is a cultural revolution that is sweeping across the globe. If this should lead to a world free of racism or at least where racism is no longer the norm nor acceptable in society then the removal of statues may well be a price worth paying. Black Lives Matter.

Bruce Crowther & Graham Hulme, FIG Tree Directors

25^th June 2020