The IHA is granted support by ‘The Art of Impact’
28 October 2015
The IHA is granted funding by 'The Art of Impact' for its upcoming public campaign on the meaning and impact of the chocolate sculptures made by the Congolese plantation workers affiliated with the local arts organisation CATPC. Small chocolate self-portraits now form a driver for economic change in worn-out rural Congo.
"The Institute for Human Activities (IHA) expose global structural economic segregation, and art’s role in it. In a sublime way, this global problem manifests itself in a gift of 11 x 11 x 11 cm. For only € 39.95 you, as a consumer, can provide a financial solution for plantation workers in Congo. But you will also become the owner of a moral problem. The perverse small figures are seductive and horrifying at the same time. They communicate altruism as well as indifference. They represent hope for the plantation workers and are a monument for inequality.’’
For the first time in history, Western consumers pay for the feelings and desires of Congolese plantation workers. The emotions added to the cacao sculpture provide an income growth of 7000% compared to regular cacao. The revenue that the sales of the chocolate sculptures generate, is directly flowing back to the Congolese plantation workers affiliated with the CATPC. Having sold 2,500 sculptures in 2015, the aim is to sell 10,000 small sculptures in the coming two years.
The Art of Impact is a programme initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science to support cultural programmes that aim to make an impact on society.