Globo Dinner: Promoting global justice

Imagine that 100 people represent the entire world’s population. That is exactly what the Globo Dinner brought to life: an immersive live experiment that not only explains global inequality but also allows participants to experience it emotionally. Together with the Domberg Academy, the Agenda 21 group Faires Forum Freising and the Kolpingfamilie Freising e.V., the HSWT invited around 100 participants to view the world from a different perspective over dinner.

Global reality on a 1:100 scale

The evening was based on the non-fiction book *Our Little Village – The World with 100 People* by Josef Nussbaumer, Andreas Exenberger and Stefan Neuner. The fictional village of ‘Globo’ is home to 100 people – a scale that mirrors our own social environment and makes global interconnections tangible. At the Globo dinner, participants took on roles with varying levels of privilege, such as access to drinking water, income and food security.

The distribution was stark: 10 per cent sat at a lavishly laid table with a three-course meal, 60 per cent were given rice and water, and 30 per cent had no access whatsoever to food or drink. The ‘rich’ also sat with their backs to the others. This deliberate shift in perspective made privileges both visible and, at the same time, invisible.

The experiment triggered strong emotions: powerlessness, anger, guilt, but also a willingness to help. Anyone who tried to pass on food was penalised, just as in real-life power structures. HSWT President Dr Eric Veulliet intervened actively, thereby highlighting social norms: “Inequality arises not only from structures, but also from our behaviour. The Globo Dinner shows how difficult it is to question privilege and how important it is to take responsibility.”

Flying Interview: Expertise from academia and practice 

This was followed by a dynamic ‘flying interview’, moderated by Dr Claudia Pfrang, Director of the Domberg Academy, and Dr Eric Veulliet. Experts mingled with the audience and explained global interconnections along the food value chain. Key insights were provided by:

• Prof. Dr Bernhard Schauberger, HSWT: Rising temperatures affect regions to varying degrees; adaptation requires humus build-up, agroforestry and green corridors.
• Prof. Dr Özlem Özmutlu, HSWT: The ‘Planetary Health Diet’ requires significantly fewer animal products in order to stay within ecological limits.
• Joachim Weber, HSWT: Wheat consumption is rising sharply in East Africa, even though the grain is imported. Local value creation must be strengthened.
• Dr Veronika Hannus, HSWT: Sustainability is an integral part of the training programmes offered by the Upper Bavaria Start-up Hub.
• Melanie Rihm, ‘Übrig’ food-rescue café: A third of all food is thrown away – half of it by consumers. Everyone has scope to take action here. 
• Rebekka Honecker, Weltladen Freising: Community-supported agriculture can distribute risks fairly and strengthen regional food systems. 

Conclusion: Experience fosters responsibility

The Globo Dinner adopted an approach that addresses situations where knowledge alone is not enough. It is only by experiencing inequality first-hand that space is created for deeper reflection. The participants left the evening with a clear message: global injustice is man-made, but it can be changed. “The aim is not to assign blame, but to foster responsibility,” summarised Dr Claudia Pfrang. “Everyone has scope for action. The Globo Dinner makes this visible.” 

• Back to list