green-gold waves of tea
by Elouise
green-gold waves of tea
dwarf laborers in distance–
rain clouds brew overhead
* * *
In fall 1999 my husband and I enjoyed a day near Embu with friends. After lunch they took us to see nearby tea farms. The fields were beautiful. The work was not.
Working conditions for laborers were substandard and virtually unregulated. The work itself is back-breaking, usually under hot sun. Large corporations were moving in, cashing in on one of Kenya’s most lucrative resources, sometimes using machines instead of human labor to do much of the work.
Kenya is blessed with unusually rich soil and year-round growing conditions. In areas just outside Nairobi we saw brand-name farms growing pineapples, and row upon row of green-house shelters for seasonal flowers such as Valentine’s Day roses. All for shipment out of the country, and profits back into the pockets of corporate agriculture.
In 2007 tea workers in the area we visited went on strike. How much has changed long-term? I don’t know. I do know Kenya’s natural resources are still a gold mine for international corporations, and that this pattern is worldwide, from my back yard to your back yard.
In the end, exploitation feeds the demand that drives human trafficking–labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and child trafficking. It seems poverty is a very lucrative business.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 9 February 2015
Photo credit: DAFraser, Fall 1999
Kenya tea farm, northeast of Nairobi near Embu
Telling the Truth 
Very sad but also true.
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Yes, it is. Thanks so much for your comment.
Elouise
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Nicely written! Very true!
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Thanks for your kind words and affirmation!
Elouise
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It was a pleasure to read! You’re very welcome!
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Elouise,I have three or ten raw nerves and you keep hitting them. “Large corporations were moving in, cashing in on one of Kenya’s most lucrative resources, sometimes using machines instead of human labor to do much of the work.” Corporations are not people and therefore have no concept of morality or ethics or justice. BUT there are actual real people who work in corporations and they do have a concept of morality and ethics and justice and these people ignore that concept and blame it all on “The Company” and then tell us they do it for “The Shareholders” And if that is true then each and every shareholder is to blame and stands convicted.
Have a look at http://wp.me/p5CsVT-1t
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Dear suchled, I totally agree with you about corporations not being people. I’m not certain all the people who work in corporations have a concept of “morality and ethics and justice.” Some do; some don’t. Numbers can be and are manipulated to support whatever narrative corporate leaders want to tell. Including the myth that they’re doing it ‘for the shareholders.’ In my experience, shareholders are frequently not consulted about decisions that impact them directly or indirectly. When they are consulted, their input is frequently dismissed or filed away without consideration. Or, if the shareholders decide to strike (who makes that decision and why?), the outcomes could be dire even if there’s a negotiation. The decks are stacked on the side of leadership in the corporation and the leadership of any union or other officially recognized avenue for shareholders’ voices to be heard. As an individual shareholder (directly or indirectly impacted by decisions made by corporate leaders), my responsibility is to speak up in every way I can. This means telling the truth from my perspective, refusing to be appeased or silenced, and remaining fully aware that this may mean I need to look elsewhere for a job or for an organization I wish to support. I don’t think there are easy choices for anyone in top leadership, middle leadership or any shareholder status.
I didn’t mean to hit one of your raw nerves! Now I’ve probably hit someone else’s. Last week I looked at the link about. I read your excellent post about rice production in Australia, and left a thumbs up comment at that time. I still agree with what I said! What’s happening in Australia sounds like business as usual here in the US.
Cheers!
Elouise
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Thank you for your comments – again. I looked back and saw your comment on the rice post. Since the person at WP changed the notifications setup I feel I miss seeing all likes and comments.
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You’re welcome, and no problem. It was a wonderful post about a sad reality. I’m still getting used to the new setup, too.
Elouise
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