Monday, May 29, 2006
American students examine advancement of reconciliation through market expansion
Kigali, RWANDA - A U.S. professor and a group of American students are exploring the link between Rwanda’s expanding coffee market and the troubled nation’s path to social harmony after genocide. Professor Steven Livingston of George Washington University has studied conflict in Africa since 1994, when he found himself in the Great Lakes region at the beginning of Rwanda’s genocide. A series of coincidences brought him back to the country in 2006.
At a May 23 reception held at U.S. Ambassador Michael Arrieti’s residence in Kigali to recognize Livingston’s contribution to Rwandan development, the professor told the Washington File how scholarly interest in conflict could meld with economic development.
"A friend, Kim Easson works in the coffee industry out of Oakland, California, as an advocate for small farmers trying to get a fair price for their products," he said. "Kim has an interest in Rwanda because of how the coffee industry here is helping the country develop. Its specialty coffee is highly prized in international markets.
"So, Kim has had this interest in coffee in Rwanda. I’ve had this interest in politics and conflict in Rwanda and we realized it would be productive to combine these two interests and so we brought a group of six students, a coffee executive, and it turns out one reporter, to look at the role of the specialty coffee industry in terms of finding the basis and grounds for national reconciliation," Livingston said.
While in Kigali, Livingston also ran a two-day media workshop for Rwandan public affairs officers working in government and nongovernmental organizations. The public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy helped arrange the program. (See related article.)
With the price of coffee at a record high and coffee and tea accounting for 60 percent of Rwanda’s total exports, increased sales are helping to pump much-needed cash into farming communities devastated by the ethnic/political violence that killed 800,000 mainly rural dwellers in a three-month period in 1994. "One of the things Kim and I are trying to do," he added, "is not dwell too much on the past but look at the promise of the future. And with the coffee cooperatives and role of Starbucks and other coffee companies interested in Rwanda what we see is that if you give people the expectations of hope from economic development" ethnic tensions are lessened.
Livingston said he sees a connection between expanding the coffee market and laying the basis for social harmony. That is what is group wants to explore and support if possible.
As a teacher and leader of the students who paid their own way to be part of the conflict/coffee trip, Livingston said, "My mission is to understand with my students," understand what social progress can occur when business is the engine for change and identify "what we can do to help."
COFFEE GIVING WELCOME JOLT TO RWANDAN ECONOMY
Over the past five years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has spent $10 million in a partnership with Rwandan coffee-growers to market its savory beans to coffee lovers abroad.
USAID’s efforts and the high price of coffee on international markets were in large part responsible for the Rwandan economy achieving a growth rate of 6 percent from 2004 to 2005 -- impressive considering the average growth rate among European countries was about 2.5 percent during the same period.
The goal now is to take further advantage of Rwanda’s ideal growing climate for coffee to expand production and bring added value to the product by doing more of the processing now done on the beans outside the country.
USAID continues to bet on the bean as a way to bring sustainable growth to the country with the launching of several new initiatives aimed at expanding exports including spending $250,000 to connect coffee-washing stations with the Internet so market data and communications are made more accessible. (See related article.)
The agency also helped broker a partnership between the giant U.S.-based coffee retailer Starbucks and Rwandan coffee producers with the result that the retailer launched "Rwandan Blue Bourbon" -- one of only 10 Starbucks Black Apron exclusive coffees -- in April. (See related article.)
At an event hosted at the his embassy in Washington, Rwandan Ambassador Zac Nsenga said, "This morning’s celebration is timely. It is happening at a time when we are in our 12th genocide commemoration."
"Therefore, we are not only celebrating a success story of a meaningful cooperation between the government of Rwanda, USAID, Rwandan farmers/private sector and Starbucks … but also the dividends of reconciliation and stability in Rwanda," he concluded.
For additional information on U.S policy in the region, see Africa.
At a May 23 reception held at U.S. Ambassador Michael Arrieti’s residence in Kigali to recognize Livingston’s contribution to Rwandan development, the professor told the Washington File how scholarly interest in conflict could meld with economic development.
"A friend, Kim Easson works in the coffee industry out of Oakland, California, as an advocate for small farmers trying to get a fair price for their products," he said. "Kim has an interest in Rwanda because of how the coffee industry here is helping the country develop. Its specialty coffee is highly prized in international markets.
"So, Kim has had this interest in coffee in Rwanda. I’ve had this interest in politics and conflict in Rwanda and we realized it would be productive to combine these two interests and so we brought a group of six students, a coffee executive, and it turns out one reporter, to look at the role of the specialty coffee industry in terms of finding the basis and grounds for national reconciliation," Livingston said.
While in Kigali, Livingston also ran a two-day media workshop for Rwandan public affairs officers working in government and nongovernmental organizations. The public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy helped arrange the program. (See related article.)
With the price of coffee at a record high and coffee and tea accounting for 60 percent of Rwanda’s total exports, increased sales are helping to pump much-needed cash into farming communities devastated by the ethnic/political violence that killed 800,000 mainly rural dwellers in a three-month period in 1994. "One of the things Kim and I are trying to do," he added, "is not dwell too much on the past but look at the promise of the future. And with the coffee cooperatives and role of Starbucks and other coffee companies interested in Rwanda what we see is that if you give people the expectations of hope from economic development" ethnic tensions are lessened.
Livingston said he sees a connection between expanding the coffee market and laying the basis for social harmony. That is what is group wants to explore and support if possible.
As a teacher and leader of the students who paid their own way to be part of the conflict/coffee trip, Livingston said, "My mission is to understand with my students," understand what social progress can occur when business is the engine for change and identify "what we can do to help."
COFFEE GIVING WELCOME JOLT TO RWANDAN ECONOMY
Over the past five years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has spent $10 million in a partnership with Rwandan coffee-growers to market its savory beans to coffee lovers abroad.
USAID’s efforts and the high price of coffee on international markets were in large part responsible for the Rwandan economy achieving a growth rate of 6 percent from 2004 to 2005 -- impressive considering the average growth rate among European countries was about 2.5 percent during the same period.
The goal now is to take further advantage of Rwanda’s ideal growing climate for coffee to expand production and bring added value to the product by doing more of the processing now done on the beans outside the country.
USAID continues to bet on the bean as a way to bring sustainable growth to the country with the launching of several new initiatives aimed at expanding exports including spending $250,000 to connect coffee-washing stations with the Internet so market data and communications are made more accessible. (See related article.)
The agency also helped broker a partnership between the giant U.S.-based coffee retailer Starbucks and Rwandan coffee producers with the result that the retailer launched "Rwandan Blue Bourbon" -- one of only 10 Starbucks Black Apron exclusive coffees -- in April. (See related article.)
At an event hosted at the his embassy in Washington, Rwandan Ambassador Zac Nsenga said, "This morning’s celebration is timely. It is happening at a time when we are in our 12th genocide commemoration."
"Therefore, we are not only celebrating a success story of a meaningful cooperation between the government of Rwanda, USAID, Rwandan farmers/private sector and Starbucks … but also the dividends of reconciliation and stability in Rwanda," he concluded.
For additional information on U.S policy in the region, see Africa.
# posted by Buck @ 8:32 AM 
