Books by Frederick S. M. Kawuma​

The book ‘Is There Poverty in your coffee cup?’ is written for ordinary people. According to the book, it is anyone who wishes to know more about coffee and the situation of the people who produce it. Although written by an African, it is not about Africa but provides an overview of the global coffee value chain. Those readers who have seen writers with a lifetime working in trade figures getting carried away probably expect to be swamped by a book full of statistical facts and figures. The writer, Fred Kawuma, anticipates this very early and, in the introduction, writes reassuringly and apologises for any technical language that may have escaped the net. Thus, with a mind set at ease, the reader may proceed.

The book title can take the ease out of a carefree coffee moment, but this is probably just what the writer wanted. Intending to get those who enjoy their coffee to think about the gulf between them and those who produce it, he calculated he’d best get them while in their cups.

And so, the polished coffee lover in London’s West End gets dragged into a conversation about the dirt, hunger, and petty prices paid to coffee growers in Brazil and Uganda. The plight of coffee growers might otherwise never have occurred to him in his world. Now, he is being told that, in many ways, the lot of the growers is getting even worse. He is being asked to do something about ensuring that coffee farmers are paid fairly and live in decent circumstances.