Part II Chocolate: product of Africa

Slavery 8/18/16

Slavery has been happening since we can remember. You would think that slavery is gone but no, in some countries slavery still exist. Kelsey Timmerman goes on a journey to Africa discovering the truth behind the Chocolate business. In this journey Timmerman meets a slave named Solo who he tries to free but with a country that allows slavery It was hard to do so. They sold Solo a dream that when he was finished with his year working at the coco farm that he would get paid but all of that is a dream because they promised slaves their money but at the end the slaves wouldn't get nothing at all. It was a false hope system because the slaves wanted to get out of the coco farm but couldn't because they had no money to go anywhere and at the end of their contract they wouldn't receive the money that they were promised. Timmerman felt in need to help Solo because he was a slave. Timmerman asked Solo all these question like if he was abused and many more. So Timmerman started to jump to conclusions without really knowing all of the story also along the way there were lost of communication between Timmerman and Solo. Timmerman makes this plan to free Solo which was to take Solo as his translator for a couple of days. His plan was to buy Solo and have him be free again so he can see his family. Well Solo's owner didn't like the idea that Timmerman was going to take one of his slaves. All that Solo wanted was his freedom and he even spoke to his owner about it. The owner told Solo that after he finished helping Timmerman he would return to the farm then after that he was going to get paid so he could go home. But of course that was a false hope for the slave. Timmerman gives Solo forty dollars which Solo spends on two alcoholic drinks and after that he says he is going to the bathroom and he escapes. It was weeks until he heard news of Solo. When Timmerman finally heard about Solo, they said that he was back on the coco farm. Moral Timmerman wanted to help but in reality he couldn't because Solo had no papers or enough money to make it through the journey. Was it worth all the trouble that Timmerman went through to make an escape plan for the slave? What would have happened if Timmerman brought the slave as his own? I believe it wouldn't have changed much if he bought Solo because he didn't have papers so he wouldn't be able to leave the country at all. I can see why Timmerman wanted to help but there was just no way that he could have free a slave especially in a country who allows slavery. If he had freed the slave the owner wouldn't been so happy which just means harsher punishment for Solo. So was Timmerman helping or hurting Solo more?