Female Figure 19th–early 20th century
Bembe peoples
Republic of Congo, Mouyondzi
Wood, ceramic
The Barnes Foundation
Female Figure 19th–early 20th century
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Female Figure 19th–early 20th century Bembe peoples Republic of Congo, Mouyondzi Wood, ceramic The Barnes Foundation
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Everly Dark from Bristol has always been fascinated with birds and their ability to defy gravity. From a young age Everly envied this magic and constantly found herself staring up to the unattainable sky. In her painting included in this exhibition she has been influenced by her fascination and frustration by our earthly restrictions, incapable of experiencing that freedom that only birds can know. This is a metamorphosis of that inner longing escaping its confinement of the human shell. Everly Dark is one of the artists showing in our CONTEMPORARY PAINTING exhibition opening tonight at The Brick Lane Gallery. The CONTEMPORARY PAINTING exhibition programme is open to all artists from all over the world. To take part in any future exhibitions please contact
CHOCALYPTO: The END of chocolate Easter Eggs in 2025 If I say Easter, you say Egg! Easter and eggs have long been associated together. It was in 1875, that Cadbury gave the world its first ‘branded’ chocolate Easter egg. So why is it that in only 150 years the world is going to reach a stage where there will be no more chocolate Easter eggs? Yes! You read that right. April 20, 2025 is Easter Sunday, same as this year, but there will be a big difference 11 years from now! No more chocolate Easter Eggs for the egg hunt! Please allow me to share my views with you that have been formed over the past 30 months that I have spent in a major cocoa (the key ingredient in chocolate) growing area. Some fun facts first: Four countries in West Africa – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon account for 70% of the world’s cocoa supply. The balance is made up of primarily Indonesia, Ecuador and Brazil. Why this geographical concentration? Simply because cocoa as a plant needs a hot and humid climate (plentiful rain and plentiful sunshine) to survive and thrive, which is best provided in a narrow window about 15-degrees north and 15-degrees south of the equator as seen in the map below showing the key cocoa growing countries. So what exactly is the problem? Demand for chocolate is rising far more rapidly than supply. India is now the world's fastest growing market for chocolate. China is also showing a growing taste for the confectionery. The current supply was barely enough to satisfy the appetites of the traditional purveyors of chocolate in Europe and North America. If these Asian giants join the party, then there will not be enough cocoa to go around for everyone. The major problem is that roughly five million farmers produce about four million tons of cocoa in a year. The bane of cocoa farming is the small land holdings of the farmers involved. A ton of cocoa sells just shy of $3,000 in the market. If you are a farmer producing a ton of cocoa then your annual income is $3,000 on which you need to support a family of six to ten. [Indicative figures to stress a point. The reality is a little more complex] Aging farmers and lack of interest in the younger generation to carry on the farming business. Point 2 makes it clear why. Aging trees. A cocoa tree reaches peak production in its fifth year after planting. It will yield at this peak level for another 10 years. Most of the trees in West Africa have an average age of 20, which means their peak productive years are behind them. Other soft commodities offering better returns like palm and rubber. Cocoa is a very temperamental plant that needs a lot of care, and with the consecutive years of low prices, the farmers have become discouraged. The governments are focusing on other sources of foreign exchange earnings like oil, as is the case in Nigeria. Nigeria as a country could easily triple its cocoa output in five years, but is plagued by government apathy. The government continues to turn a blind eye to all the ills in the industry, and allows all manner of agencies to levy and tax the cocoa to such an extent that what finally reaches the farmer is a pittance. New sources of income. Last week there was a story that farmers are abandoning cocoa farming as they are finding gold on their farms. The gold dust is providing better returns than cocoa. So, will we really run out of chocolate in 11 years? No, but it might be greatly diminished though. Will everyone be able to afford what’s available for sale? Perhaps. Will it still taste like chocolate? Probably not. Well, folks, I am one of the last people on earth whom you can label an alarmist, but I honestly see the current situation surrounding cocoa as grim. Is there any hope to redeem the situation? I am a die-hard optimist by nature, and believe the answer is a resounding YES! Over the course of the next few months I will be sharing stories of hope about changes being made by a lot of good people joining hands together to tackle this issue. I WISH ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY AND A CHOCOLATY EASTER!!! Photo 1: continentalicecream Photo 2: Taylah Rich Chocolate (Disclaimer: None of this information should be construed as investment advice in cocoa futures. All views expressed here are my own, and are not endorsed by Olam or any of their promoters) Author : Peter 'Raj' Sayal
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