Hunger Banquet

The other night, I was invited to attend a charity event (called a Hunger Banquet) hosted by Oxfam -- a nonprofit, worldwide organization that aims to change the world by ending the injustices causing poverty. Apparently, this is the first time they've done this event with American students here in Florence, and they asked two staff members from my university and a few students from our program to attend and provide feedback.

Always one eager to try new things (and then entering self-doubt right before the said event), all I knew was that it was about world hunger. And that food would be provided. 

Little did I know this would be one of the most interesting events I've attended. 

First, you receive a character card that basically tells you who you are by chance, and we are divided into three main categories -- high income (over $6000/year), middle income ($1300-6000), and low income (<$1300). Joining half of the people there, I landed in the low income group. I was a farmer's wife in Guatemala, going hungry due to a famine that year. 

They seated us accordingly, with the high income folks on the stage. A speaker started off by introducing Oxfam and the goals for that night -- for us to realize the crisis of world hunger and keep that perspective in mind. We got plenty of facts; for example, approximately 9000 people die every year as a result of hunger and malnutrition. 

They also called out a few names from the audience and facilitated some changes in income, and consequently seats -- for example, seamstresses who started a business and moved up, or a natural disaster that financially ruined a family. Interestingly enough, the ones who did switch income classes were only between the middle and low -- the high were untouched. When you consider that only 20% of the world is in that class, it opens you to see the global reality a little more.

During the break, everyone was fed what their respective income classes could afford: a nutritious meal on a plate, then rice with beans in a bowl, and last of all, a mere cup of white rice served with dirty (dyed) water -- which I got. The dirty water even ran out (I couldn't tell if it was intentional) so I simply had my fistful of white rice. 

During our "dinner" break, I had the chance to talk with the volunteer coordinator at my school. This whole experience was quite fascinating, and I wasn't sure yet what to think of it. She explained the Hunger Banquet from her perspective. 

"It's different when you present this information to young people. For us [she is in her 40s], it is difficult to change. We can help by giving money, but our life is, for the most part, already set. But for you, being in your 20s -- your life is not drawn out yet. You all are still malleable, and this can affect your idea of the world and you can be the change."

Wow. I told her I loved her positive way of thinking. Because meanwhile, I was considering the opposite -- a false impact. Where we are emotionally moved by the facts, we want to solve the injustices of poverty and world hunger, and yet because most of us have no remote idea what it's like to be in that situation ... It becomes a social event that reaches only the superficiality of the issue since we are so far from reality.
We see it, we understand it, and now we're at loss. Because we don't have enough life experiences yet to even fathom the political and economical complexities involved, we treat like a "based on a true story" movie that we can talk about, think about, and sadly, often forget about -- despite our good intentions. 

Perhaps this just all proves how cynical I am, but I prefer the term 'realistic'. Both ways are crucial to analyzing such a unique event. But I understand her side, too. Sometimes, just knowing this is enough, for now. We don't have the answers, but recognizing this problem of world hunger is the first step in changing our attitudes and mindsets, and eventually influencing our choices and actions. 

After the dinner break, the speaker asked for our thoughts so far. She posed questions relating to feedback, as well as deeper questions about poverty -- the last question asking what we can do to solve this (perhaps a little too deep. I don't think anyone chimed in for that one). 

Unfortunately, the response was minimal. It was enough, but I would've wanted to hear more. Perhaps it was the type of questions, or the way it was phrased that didn't incite thought-provoking responses -- not sure. Dylan, a fellow deep thinker in my program, went a little more complex in his answer to one of the questions, and yet the speaker simply acknowledged the answer. Perhaps smaller groups could have set a better scene for discussion (for perhaps a resource-based economy that Dylan really wanted to talk about). 

The event was pleasantly interesting in structure, which became a nice surprise. The innovative idea of the rice allowed a bit more connection, but of course, we all knew we could eat later, so I'd hardly call it a simulation. Interesting, nonetheless, and it brought my considerarion to international issues such as poverty and hunger.

(A photo I entered into their Instagram contest and won a certificate for gelato)

Personally, I feel that resources and opportunities are key. If it could somehow be set that people in disadvantaged situations could choose to get an education or simply have a fair opportunity to switch income classes, that would help even it out. Another concept that came to mind was globalization. Yes, we would lose cultural aspects, history, and a big part of the diversity that makes up our world. But it's happening already, and globalization is what flattens our world and makes education and opportunities all more equally accessible to all humans on planet earth.

It's a difficult topic. How can we begin to comprehend this when the average American will have a car, own 2 televisions, and have the ability to even choose their food -- versus plain rice?

What are your thoughts on this? Charity events, world hunger and poverty, then the audience of study abroad American students -- impactful, or not?