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Thu 28th Aug 2008
	22:00	Trailblazers
	22:15	To My Future Child
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Bittersweet

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	Bittersweet

Bittersweet

This film is a portrait of a South American community threatened with extinction because of the power of large trading blocs to influence the markets.

For two centuries sugar cane has been farmed in Guyana. In 1955 under a new scheme, 55 wage slaves were uprooted from the big sugar estates and given their own plots to set up their own community.

The village of Belle Vue was born and over the decades, these peasant farmers have worked hard to make a living and ensure a future for their children.

As these families prepare for their Christmas celebrations they are praying that their future will not turn out to be as bleak as it looks.

A community under threat

Their daily hard work in the sugar cane fields is now dependent on decisions being made thousands of miles away in Brussels.

The European Union - Guyana's main customer - plans to cut the price it pays for its sugar by 36% in the next four years. The impact on these families will be devastating.

Bittersweet talks to the families about their uncertain future and how their lives and community will be turned upside down if this policy is implemented by European countries.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 February 2008 )

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Bittersweet