Together with Christian Aid, Robert Beckford recently traveled to Ghana in West Africa, where, two centuries ago, his ancestors were seized and taken as slaves to Jamaica. There, he discovered the hidden costs of rice, chocolate and gold – as he struggled to survive on the average daily wage of 60p. He wonders if northern financing and aid have actually made countries like Ghana worse off? And, most importantly, he asks what we, as consumers and citizens, can do to can make a difference.
Robert Beckford is a theologian, author and documentary filmmaker based at London Metropolitan University. He has been at the forefront of the theology and cultural studies movement in Britain for the last decade. His current research explores the bewitchment of black British Christianity by the demonic spirits of materialism and social passivity.
