Your Choice Changes the World
-Julian Warmington
By Jang Min, Guest Reporter
World Fair Trade Day was held on May 9th. Chonnam Tribune met Julian Warmington who has been involved in fair trade activity in Gwangju. He is from New Zealand and working as an English instructor at Chosun University. He has operated “Fair Trade Café” at the Gwangju International Center (GIC) beginning last summer. Every Saturday, we can find him and his co-workers managing stands for fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate at the GIC. Last year, he had a talk over the fair trade movement at the GIC and he has posted the information about fair trade on his blog. –Ed.
On a sunny day in April, he was on the bicycle and a helmet was on his head. It was the first time I saw him. He took off his helmet with a smile and said, “The weather was quite hot because I was riding a bicycle.” Then, he showed me the way to the Gwangju International Center.
Korea, Strange but Exciting
What made him decide to settle down in Gwangju? He said, “As the overseas experience for New Zealanders in their 20’s is a part of New Zealand culture, I had to go abroad somewhere. I was eager to find some place very strange but exciting.” At that time, his experience of Taekwondo made him interested in Korea even if it was unfamiliar with foreigners and just an unknown country to him. He wanted to know about traditional Korean culture, and one of his friends also recommended Gwangju saying traditional Korean food in this city would be appealing to him. Then he made up his mind to come to Gwangju, Korea.
Everyday Life, Being Political
He introduced himself as an English style New Zealander. His parents moved to New Zealand to experience fresh air and the low cost of the land. “I benefited from colonization. I am being honest. Thanks to colonization, I could live with a good standard of living. I was grateful for it and I realized that it was time to give back what I got from colonization.” Maybe the benefit from colonization made him decide to return it to the world. Activities for fair trade might be one way that is the most honest.
His concern for fair trade goes back to his interest in politics. His notion of politics is simple but significant. To him, politics is “two people talking and agreeing or disagreeing”. He explained that politics is like shopping and everything has basic political implications, and asserted that everything we do or how we choose in everyday life is political. After talking with him, I got to realize that politics is not about boring news stories on political issues or politicians anymore, but rather it is about what we realize in life and the way we live in the world.
Fair Trade, Evoking Dual Emotions
He mentioned that the better name for fair trade is ‘fairer trade’ compared with free trade, which gives company owners ‘real’ freedom to maximize its profits without taking care of the environment and paying the fair price to producers like farmers or factory workers. Even if it is not perfect or exact, it seems to be more appropriate than free trade in his heart. As the goal of fair trade companies and organizations are to be transparent, they are considered honest by showing their budgets, profits and also check environmental standards. Its main purpose is that producers are given fairer prices and are guaranteed a more stable income. I thought that fair trade companies give producers in developing countries not only honesty but also something precious, trust and hope. I could guess that fair trade presents economic and social fairness as well as ‘emotional fairness’.
Two conflicting emotions inspired him to do activities for fair trade; excitement and disgust. “It was exciting to see how many people have become involved in international movements to take care of the poor people in the world.” And he considered it as a new way to contribute to our global society. Meanwhile, he found that many things about capitalism and commercialism are disgusting, including commercials which convey the wrong idea that lying to consumers is more important than paying the fair price to farmers or workers. These two emotions made him feel motivated to be involved in fair trade in Gwangju.
Hope, for Fair Trade and the World
Finally, I wondered what fair trade means to him. His answer was ‘hope’. “It is a hope for people who need me and you.” He explained that it is also a hope for a better life for poor workers to get out of the poverty cycle and for a better world for everyone all over the globe. He has a pure hope about the faith that if he plant seeds, it can grow up and will drop other seeds.
He indicated that Gwangju citizens shared the spirit of fairness and justice by enduring ‘May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising’. With this reason, he believes that they will give positive support to the poor workers in developing countries by participating in the fair trade movement. Keeping his love for fair trade mixed with his affection for Gwangju, he operates the “Fair Trade Café”. He hopes that the fair trade movement spreads all over the country.
After the interview, he disappeared from my sight while riding his bicycle. I know that riding a bicycle makes him a bit more hurried, but instead he can enjoy the cool breeze of practice and change for fair trade directly. I was smiling and dreaming the hopeful future of the world. If we consider a few seconds more when we choose to buy products, it is going to be water and sunshine for fair trade. Someday the suffering workers will be colored green, the color for brightness and vitality, like trees in summer. The power of changing the world is derived from ‘people’. I am sure that it would be absolutely true.
A special event to celebrate World Fair Trade Day was held at the Gwangju Culture and Art Center on May 9. This year, World Fair Trade Day was themed ‘BIG BANG’ with a slogan of “Beat poverty! Beat climate change! Beat the financial crisis.” BIG BANG is supported by 110 million members in 80 different countries around the world. This global event is supported by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) which operates in 70 countries across five regions. The goal of the WFTO is to enable small producers to improve their livelihoods and communities through sustainable fair trade by engaging in policy, advocacy, campaigning, marketing and monitoring. Fair Trade supporters are engaged actively in supporting producers, raising awareness and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade. Their goods can be recognized by the WFTO logo on the packages.