BITTER Chocolate Stories

The exhibition BITTER at Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, running until 1 Septemeber 2019, shines a light on the cocoa industry from the perspective of Valerie, Mohamed, Catherine, Bassirou, Sarata and Issaka. They are just six of the more than 2 million children working on cocoa plantations in Ghana and Invory Coast today. Their personal experiences are paired with those of their parents, cocoa farmers, and people who strive to end child labor.

BITTER Chocolate Stories was launched in 2017 in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. The portraits and stories of the 15 children were displayed in the middle of the Exhibition Hall. These were accompanied by the slogans of major chocolate brands, providing a sharp contrast between the pleasure of chocolate consumption and the harsh reality of its production.

Around the edge of the hall, a timeline will take visitors through the history of cocoa and its development as a global commodity. The design of the exhibition is intended to reflect the complexities of the industry in the physical space: the children are literally ‘stuck in the middle’. At the same time, by exposing visitors to the world behind their chocolate bars, the exhibition aims to highlight how their consumption choices impact an industry and, in turn, the lives of countless children.

Photo book with interviews and background information

Bitter Chocolate Stories addresses the harsh realism of child labour in cocoa plantations in an unconventional manner. Children who worked on cocoa plantations were portrayed in a pop-up studio by one of the most talented African photographers, Joana Choumali from Ivory Coast.

Dutch freelance journalist Marijn Heemskerk made interviews with former child labourers and wrote background texts. Together with infographics, they provide insight into the history of the production of cocoa, the economic and social conditions for farmers in West Africa as well as the initiatives taken to fight child slavery and child labour practices in the industry.

The book also includes drone shots of the plantations as well as words taken from advertising for chocolate. Images taken from international media show that the issue has been in the news regularly. Yet, we proved not to be insensitive to the many calls that were made.

For every copy of Bitter Chocolate Stories sold, 5 euros will be donated to GRADE-FRB’s shelter in Burkina Faso, where the children featured in this book were photographed. Located near Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), GRADE-FRB serves as a rehabilitation and training centre for children who have been saved from forced labour situations. Order the book and contribute to stopping forced child labour on cocoa plantations.