At 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 in in the UI Commons, Hunger Banquet attendees randomly drew a slip of paper out of a bag upon entering the room. That paper determined their fate for the evening, assigning an income level, home country, name and a brief character bio.
A fortunate few received slips that designated them as high-income characters and were directed to sit at a formally-set dining table in the front of the room. Those who were assigned middle-income status filled in plastic chairs through the middle of the room, whereas the vast majority of attendees sat on newspapers spread on the floor in the back as low-income participants.
The distribution was dramatic, with only two attendees seated at the front table and more than a dozen crowded onto the newspaper in the back. According to Oxfam America UI Vice President Simon Halsell, the seating represented the actual distribution of the global population among income levels throughout the world.
“No one can choose the circumstances into which they’re born,” Halsell said. “You drew your lot at random.”
Halsell, looking at the three groups of people, said the inequality in seating also represented how food and other resources are “inequitably distributed around the world.”
However, Halsell said he believes there is hope for an end to poverty.
“The way we see it, poverty is solveable,” Halsell said, quoting Oxfam America’s belief statement. “We’re not saying it will be quick or easy, but it can be done.”
Before the meal, the group of attendees got an idea of the importance of identifying solutions to hunger crises in an address given by Malashree Bhargava, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the United Nations Resident Coordinators Office and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Food is one of the most important factors for human development,” Bhargava said. Bhargava explained that natural disasters and human conflicts perpetuate hunger and poverty around the world.
“There are linkages between drought, conflict, and famine,” Bhargava said. “It all needs to be seen in a holistic manner.”
Following Bhargava’s presentation, banquet-goers were directed to their respective dinner options. While the high-income table was served a nutritional, multi-course meal, the middle-income group received bowls of rice and beans and the low-income was offered bowls of rice without any accompanying utensils. The dramatic divisions between available meals stirred up conversations in all three groups.
Fiona Lyle, UI international studies senior, said she was upset to be sitting at the high-income table, despite her balanced meal.
“I feel horrible sitting here, enjoying my food,” Lyle said.
That discomfort resonated with Lyle, and she said she planned to talk to her friends about her experience at the banquet.
“I wish there was more of the school that had taken part in it,” Lyle said.
According to Oxfam America UI President Dylan Porter, UI students can look forward to another, bigger Hunger Banquet next year.
The UI chapter of Oxfam America is almost entirely comprised of new members and only Porter had ever attended a Hunger Banquet before. Hosting her own banquet for the first time at UI, Porter said she was pleased by the turnout but saw room for the event to grow.
“I want conversations to start,” Porter said. “Hopefully a few people leaver here with a different perspective on poverty in general.”
Beth Hoots can be reached at [email protected]
Carmen Mobley
Thanks for sharing helpful information. We all are lucky enough to have all the comforts in life but are we all familiar with the millions of people who have no shelter and are struggling for food every day. They are helpless and are forced to lead a miserable life. Also, agree with your information, there are a number of NGO's like http://www.mission-humanitaire-afrique.org/ that work day and night for the benefit of needy but that would not be enough as the count of people facing poverty is large, so we should come together and be a helping hand for all needy.