The 200 th centenary of the abolition of slavery and fair-trade came under scrutiny at The Commonweal School last week. The entire of Yr 8, ( 222 students aged between 12 and 13) investigated elements of these subjects in class prior to watching the poignant Fair Trade Theatre Companies play ‘One For Me.’

The play was set on a simple stage which flipped from being a jail on a slave ship to
a mansion, an African village and an exhibition. The story followed a husband and wife who were torn from their African homes into slavery on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The play started on the slave ship and their story was cleverly woven with that of the Thornhill family who inherited money made from slave labour

Dramatic and gripping Fairgame’s new thriller One For Me takes you by the arm and forces you to examine the history of our society and the blood that cements so much of it together. From the sugar in your tea to the greatest modern art gallery in the land, this play exposes hidden horrors of our slaving past.

“This powerful play helped students in their studies in Geography, History, Drama and English to further their understanding in a very visual way. Creative learning I believe is the way forward ” Keith Defter, Headteacher

“ It was an excellent play to get the students to think about where products we use come from. It was a hard hitting and provocative theme which had the students fully engaged and silent! It showed that Fair traded goods do not exploit people in poorer countries.”Andrea Preston Head of Geography.