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It's July, and that has the staff here at Café Campesino
thinking about independence. Not only the independence of
the American colonists from England in 1776 but also
freedom from oppression for people all over the world. The
ability to live one's life free from the dictates of a
repressive government is truly something to be celebrated.
We Americans commemorate our independence with parades,
backyard gatherings and fireworks. It's a day for kicking
back, enjoying the company of friends and family (as you
savor an iced cup of Café Campesino coffee, perhaps?).
But after the last burger (or meatless equivalent) has come off the grill and
the skyrocket trails have vanished from the night sky,
it's also a time to appreciate the gift of freedom our
forefathers gave us so many years ago when they fought for
the right to govern their own country.
In this issue of Fair Grounds, we visit the South American
country of Colombia, which on July 20th marks its
independence from the tyranny of Spanish rule. It's a
festive day, marked by parades, music, dance and fiesta.
But it's also a day of hope, for an end to the terrible
violence that keeps the Colombian people from being truly
free.
We
may disagree with the actions of our elected officials
(and often times do), but thank God we have the freedom in
this country to openly express our discontent without
fear. Maybe one day the Colombian people (and oppressed
people around the world) will be just as fortunate.
(Back
to Headlines)
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By
Lynn Nichols
The only country on the continent of South America that
borders both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Colombia is
a land of spectacular beauty, abundant natural resources
and amazing biodiversity. Its cities, like the vibrantly
diverse capital Bogata, the lively "party city"
of Cali, Medellin, the "City of Eternal Spring,"
and the Spanish Colonial port of Cartegena, are both
homages to a past civilization and gateways to a brave,
new future. Colombia is a place of geographic contrasts,
from lush tropical forests and colorful coral reefs to the
wind-swept desert of La Guajira and the peaks of the
Serranía de la Macarena. It is a cultural tableau, where
the roots and traditions of the Indians, Spanish and
Africans have produced an invigorating fusion in music,
literature (the "magic realism" of Gabriel García
Márquez), folklore and art. It is a land rich in
emeralds, petroleum, gold (the legend of El Dorado
originated in Colombia) and, of course, coffee.
With
its intriguing culture, the variety of its ecosystems and
the warmth of its welcoming people, no other country in
the world offers so much to foreign travelers. Yet
Colombia remains largely undiscovered by tourists. Why?
Follow
this link for the rest of the story
(Back
to Headlines)
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 Cycling Through the Mountains: A BRAG Recap — In
late June, we traveled to the mountains of north Georgia
for the annual week-long Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG).
This was our third year of providing a hot cup of fair
trade coffee each morning to hundreds of bleary-eyed
cyclist. The traveling coffee shop was manned by long-time
friend and volunteer Geoffrey Hennies as well as newcomers
Alan Cook and Hugh Binley. Hugh served as the masterbrewer
— floating between 4 Bunn pourover brewers and the
caffeine craving bikers. Alan served muffins by day and
strummed his guitar by night, teaming up with the
Hapeville Police Department pickers to delight the crowd
with great bluegrass tunes. We thank our friends at BRAG
HQ for inviting us back year after year — and we
especially thank our regular BRAG customers and friends
for helping us make this such a successful and fun event. http://www.brag.org
More
pictures can be seen here:
Sunday July 21, 2002, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM —
Faith-based Campaign for Shade-grown Coffee Procurement
— Cafe Campesino supports All Saints Episcopal Church's
Fair Trade, Organic, Shade-grown coffee campaign as a
purveyor and speaker during Sunday fellowship. Bill and
Daniel will be present from 8:30am to 1pm. http://www.allsaintsatlanta.org/
Friday,
August 2, 2002,
7:00 AM - 10:00 AM — Southface Sustainable Atlanta
Roundtable — Café Campesino attends the monthly (first
Friday of every month, unless otherwise noted) SART (and
serves up coffee) as a Fair Trade representative promoting
sustainable coffee agriculture and trade. Bring your own
mug to the roundtable and qualify to win a free pound of
Cafe Campesino fair trade, shade grown coffee! To register
on the Roundtable mailing list/e-mail list, visit: http://www.southface.org/home/sart/sustainatlanta.html
(Back
to Headlines)
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I was SO pleased with my last shipment ~ so this is
perfect! Thank you for your EXCELLENT customer service and
sense of community.
— Angela (One happy customer)
This
is great! You guys are the WunderKaffeeKids! Hope your
summer is steamin'!
— Nanno
(Back
to Headlines)
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Peace,
Justice and Human Rights:
http://www.globalexchange.org/colombia/
The home page for Global Exchange's Colombia Campaign, a
great resource for background information on the conflict
in Colombia, news updates, links and ways to get involved.
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/colombia/
Human Rights Watch's Crisis in Colombia page.
http://www.colombiasupport.net/
The Colombia Support network, a Madison, Wisconsin,
nonprofit organization dedicated to peace and justice for
Colombia.
http://www.colombiamobilization.org/
A national coalition of organizations (including Action
for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central
America (ACERCA), Colombia Support Network, Global
Exchange, Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA) and
individuals working to transform U.S. policy toward
Colombia and the Andean region.
Travel:
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/south
/colombia/colombia1.html
Planeta.com's travel directory for South America has
background articles and links to agencies that organize
trips.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
/south_america/colombia/
Lonely Planet's travel guide to Colombia. It has a wealth
of information on traveling in Colombia, its culture, its
history, and its people.
If you've got some links (on Colombia or other subjects of
interest to our readers) please feel free to share them
with us. feedback@cafecampesino.com
(Back
to Headlines)
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When freedom prevails, the ingenuity and inventiveness of
people creates incredible wealth. This is the source of
the natural improvement of the human condition.
—
Brian S. Wesbury
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