We Are Family!
The first Cotton made in Africa Compaci Stakeholder Workshop was held in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso
A typical November day in the West African nation of Burkina Faso: a pleasantly arid 86 degrees. The rainy season is over and the inhabitants of Koakin, population 400, are all on their feet as the bus pulls into town. The spreading branches of a baobab tree shelter the waiting villagers from the sun. The delegation of participants in the first Cotton made in Africa Compaci Stakeholder Workshops, held in the capital Ouagadougou, comprises commercial cotton traders along with representatives of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), the Aid by Trade Foundation, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and retailers including Otto, Rewe, Tchibo and 1888 Mills – 70 people in all, from Africa, the U.S., and Europe.
As is usual in Africa, the first step is to exchange gifts. The village of Koakin proffers hens and receives soccer balls and caps. “Unfortunately, we only thought to bring one air pump,” Christoph Kaut admits, the Executive Director of the Aid by Trade Foundation. In the course of the day the guests pay visits to cotton fields and a school in Guirgho. It quickly becomes clear how important such getting-acquainted events can be. Kaut is convinced of the lasting value of the Stakeholder Workshop: “People get to talking with each other. For many from Europe or the USA, it gives insight into an entirely new universe of experiences and leaves a deep impression.” The visitors witness at firsthand how cotton farmers live and work, and the farmers, in turn, see samples of products made from the fibers they produce. “Both sides realize that they have equally important parts to play, and everyone’s work receives recognition,” Kaut explains.
Dinner and a fashion show in Ouagadougou concluded the day’s events. Laurent Sedogo, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture, expressed his “hope that the experiences you and we have had with Cotton made in Africa can provide useful insights for other agricultural products of Africa,” and that the initiative will become a model for others like it. The unusual fashion show was made up exclusively of school uniforms: An alliance among GTZ, Cotton made in Africa, local cotton farmers and the cotton dealer Talon are underwriting a project to provide 10,000 school uniforms for children in Benin, only one example of the many socially-minded projects currently in planning, from school cafeterias to new desks for schools in Zambia.
The two days that followed were used intensively for presentations and discussion, with a diverse range of topics. The retail giant REWE presented its sustainability program; the DEG portrayed the challenges facing the Compaci (Competitive African Cotton) Initiative. And last but not least, the group turned its attention to Cotton made in Africa’s experiences in a variety of African countries. Christoph Kaut firmly believes that “the Cotton made in Africa family should meet up once a year to talk things over. The next get-together is planned for the fall of 2010 in Europe.” He sees a genuine Cotton made in Africa family gradually coming together, and is certain that the initiative will continue to gain momentum. “There are going to be around six million textile articles this year with the Cotton made in Africa seal, and next year we are likely to double that number.“
Business and Development are the two guiding lights of Cotton made in Africa. Nowhere, to date, have they been easier to grasp and understand in tangible form than at the Stakeholder Workshop in Burkina Faso.
Text: Peter Felixberger
