Global learning

Where does the chocolate on our table actually come from? Why did people used to drink chicory coffee? And what does all this have to do with distant lands, ancient trade routes and powerful merchants from our region?

Our two-hour workshop takes young and old explorers on an exciting journey through the history of world trade – from ancient amber to the fair-trade cocoa of today. Together, we go in search of clues at two stations:

Station 1: In the historic grocer’s shop
We open the doors of a typical grocer’s shop from the past and take a closer look: Where did sugar, cocoa, coffee, tea or cotton come from? Who earned money from this business? Who bore the burden of cultivation, transport and production?

Station 2: History comes to life
In the workshop room, we travel through the centuries and discover:

• The influence of historical events on legendary trade routes.

• The continental blockade under Napoleon and the curious substitutes that emerged from it – such as chicory root as a coffee substitute.

• The Nathusius and Hauswaldt families, who grew rich by cultivating native plants and trading colonial goods.
• And, above all, the dark side of the dependencies and exploitation that arose from colonial trade and whose traces are still visible today in the unequal trade relations between the global North and South.

Together we ask: Who earns money from a bar of chocolate today and who uses their labour to make it? Why is fair trade important and what does it mean for cocoa farmers in West Africa?

Target groups:
Adults – for anyone who wants to take a look behind the shiny facade of sugar, coffee and cocoa and discover the economic and historical connections
Pupils (from year 3) – organised in a child-friendly way, with stories, puzzles and hands-on stations

Duration: approx. 2 hours

Location: Museum of Cultural History Magdeburg

Guest speaker: Conrad Garlin (in cooperation with Magletan Eine Welt e.V. in the ‘Global Learning in Museums’ project)

Price: €2.50 per person (free for teachers, plus admission to the museum for adults)