Film Premiere: The Herakles Debacle
A new report and film by the Oakland Institute (report in collaboration with Greenpeace International). The Herakles Debacle is the telling of the land grab by this palm oil company and resistance by the local Cameroonians.
A panel discussion with experts and campaigners from Greenpeace International, Oakland Institute, RELUFA, and Save Wildlife Conservation Fund, will follow the film to provide an overview of the situation and resistance from impacted communities and solidarity networks.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11th, 2012
6:00 – 8:30pm
light snacks provided
James Irvine Foundation Conference Center
East Bay Community Foundation
200 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland
12th Street/City Center BART
This event is FREE and OPEN to the public
RSVP Requested: email PriorityAfrica@PriorityAfrica.org
THE HERAKLES DEBACLE
In 2009, Herakles Farms, a New York based company, through its subsidiary, SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon, Ltd. (SGSOC), acquired over 73,000 ha of land in Cameroon for a palm oil plantation, through a lease of 99 years, paying $0.50 - $1.00 per ha. From its very name, American-owned SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon, Ltd. (SGSOC) presents a pro-environment, pro-resources image. This is supported by an impressive-sounding partnership with an NGO by the name of All for Africa, and as a package typifies the kind of convoluted modern-day foreign investment going on in Africa.
Herakles claims that its project will provide sustainable development including jobs, roads, health care, and even environmental protection. It is sadly all too familiar to communities on the ground. According to the locals, the Herakles plantation which would cover over 30 forest villages and threatens their livelihoods and an ancient forest at the heart of the wider Congo Basin rainforest - the world’s second-largest after the Amazon - is a land grab!
Sponsoring Organizations
Greenpeace International
Presbyterian Hunger Program of the Presbyterian Church USA
Tikva Grassroots Empowerment Fund
Rainforest Action Network
International Forum on Globalization
International Development Exchange
Global Exchange
