Yesterday's #AmazingRace episode taught me that Germany is the world's largest exporter of chocolate products. Yes, that Germany with nary a cacao tree in sight.
Acquiring raw materials at a pittance from colonies and shipping them to an "industrialised nation" for processing and refinement into a finished product is a classic element of colonial exploitation in which the refiner gets to keep the bulk of the profits while condemning the producers of raw materials to poverty and "market forces".
A handful of West African countries account for the bulk of cacao production in the world. Imagine the decades of lopsided trade agreements, market liberalization programs, violence and corruption that must've led to the export of cacao beans from Africa to Europe for grinding and refinement into chocolate.
Ending colonialism isn't just about self-rule. It's also about reshaping unfair, centuries-old trade arrangements. I hope to see "Ghanaian chocolate" written on a chocolate bar someday.