Hunger Banquet

February 18, 2008

This past Saturday a team of us from two churches organized a Global Awareness Banquet.

The banquet is a dramatization of the inequity that perpetuates poverty in the world. Guests are randomly assigned according to the realities that divide us today 15% rich, 30% middle class, and 55% poor on a global level.

The rich were served wine, appetizers, roasts, cake to classical music, while the poor had to line up for a chunk of yam. Some ended stealing from the rich, some of the rich spread the wealth, and some sat there feeling pity for themselves or for others.

We even dumped excess food into the garbage in front of the crowd, as people screamed no.

The discussion was lively, and the anger died down as people understood why we made them pay for a meal with no food.

If you can gather at least 40-50 people in your school, church, workplace, campus, I totally recommend trying to run an event like this.

Here’s a sample planning kit by Oxfam Canada.

Posted in Community, creativity, poverty