Did you know that the first ever chocolate treat was hot coco and only royalty was ever allowed to drink it? Well, I sure didn’t. Chocolate is a very complicated treat and there are many stories about it. ‘The Bitter Side Of Sweet’ is a true story about the struggles of child slaves in the cacao industry.

Plot

Two boys were essentially kidnapped 2 years ago ( in this story timeline) and they work as child slaves on a cacao farm in ivory coast. One day a new recruit came and it was the first girl. The girl was a wild card, aggressive and got her and many others in trouble. However, the three had become connected. After many dangerous situations they had had enough and decided to leave. Will they find freedom? Will they make it out with their lives?

Characters

In the story, there are 3 main characters. Amandou, Seydou, and Khadija. Amadou is the older brother of Seydou and is also 15 years old. Amadou is the ‘leader’ or the ‘older brother’ of the group. Amadou is the main person thinking of plans for escaping. Seydou, the younger brother of Amadou, is 8 years old. He is the ‘baby’ of the group. Seydou also makes very impulsive decisions. Khadija is 13 years old and she is the ‘wild cat’ of the group, Khadija is the smart and tough one of the trio.

Real life struggles

This is actually a real story believe it or not. The author had gotten this story from someone that experienced this and made it into an inspirational and emotional story. There are still many organized crime rings on the Ivorian border that continue to take boys and girls and force them to work. To read more about this topic, go to: https://www.raconteur.net/corporate-social-responsibility/child-labour-cocoa-production/

This story is very impactful and inspirational. If you want a true story There are still many circumstances and places that there are cacao and child slaves. This is a great story, I would definitely recommend it. It is very eye-opening and thrilling. If you would like to enjoy some 100% child-slave-free chocolate to go https://tonyschocolonely.com/us/en