The Italian coffee triangle: From Brazilian colonos to Ethiopian colonialisti

Abstract

This article investigates the history of coffee culture across three continents during the Fascist ventennio (1922–45.) By using the novel framework of coffee, from the bean in the field to the machine in the caffè, it connects interwar histories that previously have been explored independently. Specifically, it examines the transnational economics of coffee bean trade routes and the colonial imagery of coffee advertising to argue that caffès emerged as key sites for promoting the Fascist imperial projects in East Africa – an architectural and artistic legacy that remains in place today. Ultimately, this trajectory broadens the way that we understand how food and farming became politicised during the Fascist period. By untangling the interwar trade of beans and bodies between Italy, Brazil, and Ethiopia, this article brings to light an untold story of caffeinated imperial aggression and resistance.

Material Traces of a Cumbersome Past: The Case of Italian Colonial History

“…The theoretical hypothesis of a perceived triangle linking Italian coffee to Africa and Brazil (Garvin, 2021) thus seems to be confirmed by these free associations of older respondents. Only one of the older participants' responses fully captures the colonial significance of the packaging image, in the very first stage of the interview, by stating:…”

“…We focus on one such material artifact, still present in many nostalgic settings in European spaces, related to food advertisements recalling past colonial domination. While chocolate and coffee advertisements often refer to colonial exchanges in many European countries (Hackenesch, 2014), they are particularly significant in the Italian context, where coffee is not only a food consumer product, but also a symbol of Italian culture (Garvin, 2021). In order to understand the consequences of awareness of the colonial meaning of such ephemeral objects, the results of a qualitative research were discussed, comparing the reactions of Italian respondents of different generations to the unveiling of a possible colonial reference hidden in the packaging of a candy still showing the image of the African boy.…”

“…Recent historical contributions have convincingly investigated how the history of chocolate and coffee culture was used to intertwine the imaginary of three continents (Brazil, Ethiopia, and Italy) during the Fascist ventennio . According to researcher Diana Garvin (2021), coffee-centered narratives, describing the long journey from the bean in the field to the machine used in Italian coffee shops, were used to construct a colonial imagery based on all kinds of advertisements placed in this specific type of shop. In fact, alongside the growing success of their products, Italian caffé became key sites for the promotion of fascist imperial projects in East Africa-an architectural and artistic legacy that remains in place today.…”

Decolonising Reactions to Material Traces of the European Past: The Case of an Italian Colonial Food

“…Moreover, also the buildings dedicated to Italian caffé became key sites for the promotion of fascist imperial projects in East Africa—an architectural and artistic legacy that remains in place today. Based on a better understanding of how the Italian habits of coffee consumption were politicised during the Fascist period, an untold story of colonialism could therefore be developed, as the story of ‘caffeinated imperial aggression and resistance’ (Garvin, 2021, p. 292).…”