Activity 4: “The End of Poverty(?)”
OUTCOMES:
- To understand the historical roots of poverty
- To understand how the economic condition of people across the world is connected to colonization, neocolonialism, and neoliberalism
- To understand that one's definition of “poverty” will affect how one tries to solve the problem of “poverty”
TERMS: Poverty, Resources, Globalization, European Domination, Indigenous People, Slaves, Labor, Exploitation, Elite, Neoliberalism, Cultural Imperialism, Consumer Society, Capitalism, , World Bank, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, Developing (South)/ Developed (North) Countries, Debt, Corporations, Colonization, Privatization, Hegemony, Documentary
ARTIFACTS: Sugar cubes, French Cultural Center programs, Bamako video (for advanced classes use this in addition to The End of Poverty?)
PROCEDURES:
- Watch the film The End of Poverty? (Available via Netflix instant streaming).
- Students should take notes on the film in preparation for a whole class discussion.
- Use a format that makes sense for the school context (If your school has a particular note-taking strategy have the students practice using this strategy).
- See “Movie Viewing Guide” as an option
- Conversation about the film
- Begin by discussing student notes. What did they observe, record, etc.? (Many students will gravitate toward the concrete numbers mentioned in the film about how many people are in poverty, poverty related deaths, etc. Push them to think beyond this).
- According the film, what are the causes of global economic poverty?
- How are these causes perpetuated still to this day?
- Sugar cubes – These sugar cubes we found in a café in Paris, but they were made in Saint Louis, Senegal. This reaffirms the pattern of the former colonies providing raw materials to the colonizer in an economic relationship that benefits the colonizer.
- French cultural programs – The programs come from the “French Institute” in Dakar. The institute promotes the study of French language, culture, and economics maintaining an elite status in the community and acting as an instrument of neocolonialism.
- What are some of the solutions that organization like the World Bank and/or the IMF are proposing to try to solve the problems of poverty? Why aren't they working?
- Based on their analysis of the problem, what solutions do the producers of the film offer for solving the issue of exploitation?