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Newcastle University holds Make Poverty History 'Hunger Banquet'
Added: (Thu Apr 21 2005)
Newcastle University Students hold Make Poverty History ‘Hunger Banquet’
Inspired by the national ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign, a number of Newcastle University students have formed their own ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign, the main focus of which is a week of activities illustrating world poverty, in the hope of educating and motivating others to do something about it. The majority of people agree that world poverty is a serious issue, however not everyone realises how much can be done to change it, and this year especially, the power that the UK has to change it.
On the 30th of April a ‘Hunger Banquet’ will be held, as an introduction to the week of events taking place between 2nd and 6th of May. The ‘Hunger Banquet’ is a concept created by Oxfam, which seeks to illustrate the division of wealth throughout the world through food. People are invited to the banquet believing they are coming for a meal, and knowing that the event will in some way educate them about poverty. What they do not know is that everyone who attends is assigned to one of three groups, which will vastly affect their experience of the evening. 60% of those who attend will be designated as the ‘low income’ group. These people will receive nothing but a small bowl of rice and some water, and will not even be given seats to sit on. Another 25% will form the ‘middle income’ group who get given rice, vegetables, and will also be given seating. While the remaining 15% of people in the ‘high income’ bracket will be served a full 3 course meal, including wine and a privileged seating position in the room. This division will cause everyone to contemplate the issues of world poverty. Those in the ‘low income’ group will feel cheated, while members of the ‘high income’ group have been known to feel guilty for their privileged position, as they look down on the masses below. The meal will be followed by talks from a number of speakers including a representative from the Newcastle city Make Poverty History campaign, and a speaker from the Fair Trade Partnership. The evening will also include the presence of number of organisations and Newcastle University societies involved with Justice issues, who will be running stalls throughout the evening.
We believe this Hunger banquet will be a great success with an attendance of around 200 people, and believe that it could make a significant impact on those who attend, in provoking questions about the way we live our lives in western society, and what we can do as individuals to Make Poverty History.
The event will be held on the 30th of April at 5:30 till around 8:00 pm, at Castle Leazes halls of residence in Newcastle upon Tyne. Any members of the press who wish to attend, should contact either James Read on 07813011794 or Maryam Zaky on 07795082736. Or alternatively, via email at J.O.Read@ncl.ac.uk or maryam.zaky@ncl.ac.uk