Worldfest on Sunday to promote fair trade

This year's annual Worldfest promises to entertain the public with a packed day of delectable food specialities, drinks, ethnic music and African theatre.

This event, which is being organised by the Fair Trade Cooperative, will be held on Sunday at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.

L-Arka, the only fair trade shop in Malta, located at 306, St Paul Street, Valletta, will take centre stage offering fair traded products, which people can sample and buy.

Moreover, young refugees from Dar is-Sliem will provide African food while an Italian dance group will perform Capoeira, the traditional Brazilian fusion of dance and martial arts.

This year's Worldfest is celebrating the Global Journey to Fair Trade, a movement that has been initiated by the International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT).

As a member of IFAT, the local cooperative will receive the Fair Trade Banner from Africa to present it to the Maltese as part of its voyage around the world - Malta will be the first European country displaying the banner.

The Global Journey started in 2004 at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India. Setting off from one of the poorest slums in the world, IFAT members carried the banner through every country around the globe, where the federation is represented, to promote the message of fair trade.

In recent years, the great variety of fair traded products has increased in popularity to the extent that many businesses are now interested in selling such products.

However, in order to distinguish between the "true" fair trade organisations and the marketing gloss of big corporations and unethical businesses, IFAT has developed the Fair Trade Organisation Mark, which is displayed on the banner and backed up by a reliable monitoring system to make it trustworthy.

For more information call on 2131 5562 or 2124 4865. Entrance to the Worldfest on Sunday is free.

www.l-arka.org