Two comedians are doing their best to make light of a serious issue, launching Fair Trade Fortnight with a lunchtime show at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival tomorrow.
Fairly Funny is based on Michele A'Court and Jeremy Elwood's foray into the mountainous coffee plantations of Papua New Guinea.
The pair travelled there with Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand last year, meeting the coffee growers and their families who supply New Zealand roasters.
"We were the first white people to turn up to one of the villages we visited, so as you can imagine that was quite a mind-blowing thing to get your head around," says A'Court.
The self-confessed non-intrepid traveller says the trip opened her eyes to how labour-intensive the process of growing coffee is.
"Jeremy and I have both been joking about how you go on in your First World way about how expensive coffee is – I'm surprised it doesn't cost more than it does!
"You have to tend [the trees] daily, then pick the cherries and pop the beans out of the middle and dry them, and then carry them in 50kg bags down the mountain to hopefully where you can find transport," she recalls.
A'Court and Elwood hope their show will inspire consumers to consciously buy Fairtrade-certified products – a concept that ensures farmers receive fair prices for their products and additional investment in community projects.
On their trip they met farmers from the Neknasi Cooperative, who use the income they earn from fair trade coffee to help educate their children.
"There's no government-funded education in Papua New Guinea, so parents have to pay for their kids to go to school," A'Court says.
Steve Knapp, the executive director of Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand, says A'Court and Elwood are ideal ambassadors for the cause.
"They're able to communicate the fair trade message in a way that's entertaining and serious at the same time," he says.
A'Court promises plenty of amusing anecdotes during the one-hour show. To sweeten the deal, a ticket to Fairly Funny also includes lunch (fair trade of course).
Fairly Funny is at 12pm on Friday 3 May at Auckland's Q Theatre.
3 News
source: newshub archive
