Blood, Sweat and Sugar

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranTracking Israel's ceasefire violationsRussia-Ukraine warDonald Trumpcaret-rightplay videoplay videoVideo Duration 01 hours 32 minutes 07 seconds play-arrow01:32:07Featured DocumentariesBlood, Sweat and SugarThe sugar industry’s bitter legacy, built on slavery, exploitation and environmental damage, is still resonating today. Sugar is sweet, seductive, addictive – but built on human suffering. This two-part series reveals how an enticing luxury became the engine of a global system powered by slavery, exploitation and environmental destruction, a legacy still shaping the world today. From the 19th-century slave plantations to modern refineries in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Reunion, India, South Africa and Europe, the series traces how sugar fuelled colonial empires, drove some of the worst aspects of international trade and commerce, and left deep social and ecological scars that are still present in labour abuses and exhausted landscapes today. Combining powerful testimony, rare archival material, expert interviews, and on-the-ground reporting, the series exposes the true cost of our centuries-long obsession with sugar, while at the same time spotlighting communities fighting to reclaim land, dignity and fair means of production. The series asks a crucial question: have we ever really escaped the bitter curse behind the world’s sweetest commodity? xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoMore from the same showIran: From Khamenei to KhameneiVideo Duration 12 minutes 53 seconds play-arrow12:53Latin America: In the Shadow of the US | Ep 3 – ChaosVideo Duration 47 minutes 16 seconds play-arrow47:16Trump’s Push for GreenlandVideo Duration 25 minutes 08 seconds play-arrow25:08Latin America: In the Shadow of the US | Ep 2 – WarsVideo Duration 46 minutes 48 seconds play-arrow46:48Latin America: In the Shadow of the US | Ep 1 – CoupsVideo Duration 47 minutes 04 seconds play-arrow47:04Indonesia’s Flood Catastrophe | The Full ReportVideo Duration 24 minutes 46 seconds play-arrow24:46Venezuela: In the Shadow of the USVideo Duration 24 minutes 50 seconds play-arrow24:50AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: