As for effectiveness of fairtrade, I’ve not had opportunity to visit Ghana and can only go on experiences of colleagues and what I read. However poor conditions in fairtrade farms are, they do (I hope) meet certain standards – e.g. No child labour and no slavery, which exists outside fairtrade.

FAB wants to raise issues of injustice to challenge the status quo, to promote debate. I don’t think my ethics or morality is superior to anyone else’s. I only want people to think about what they are supporting by buying the goods they do. Fair trade is only part of solution, but it’s a start..

I don’t understand where you have impression of fairtrade comes, but sounds like in overall objectives, we agree.

Could you outline how you think we can challenge status quo and make a difference to the lives of the poorest communities across the world?

I did some work for a London charity (www.worldbytes.org) a few years back that made a documentary about Fair Trade, and visited Ghanian ‘Fair Trade’ cocoa plantation. I was really shocked at what was deemed to be ‘fair trade’ and I wouldn’t want to condemn my worst enemy to the tough and back-breaking existence that people there have to endure all their working lives. In my view people should be angry and campaigning for people in such places to have the same standards as us in the west (or better). As far as I can see, the Fair Trade movement is ultimately helping to keep the status quo by encouraging us to think that by buying the right products in our supermarkets, everything will be alright because workers in the developing world will receive the equivalent of a few more pennies.

So no, I am not disappointed, I just believed in discussion and debate with a view to figuring out to solve the problems we face.

No harm in us westerners feeling good (we aim to please), to think about life and stuff (what art is) and all the better if through fairer and ethical trade we empower artistic and creative communities outside Brum to take contol of their own lives and flourish. Again, check out fairtrade website for examples of this.