In Burkina Faso, A Caravan To Warn Against The Dangers Of Tobacco

A young cigarette seller in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 3 August 1988. 

In Burkina Faso, a caravan of sensitization against smoking has traveled since May 30 the streets of the capital Ouagadougou. For 48 hours, members of the association "Africa Against Tobacco" (Aconta) will show the health consequences of tobacco through images and explanations of doctors. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 4,000 Burkinabè die each year from tobacco use.

With a tank and posters presenting some of the health consequences of smoking, the caravan of sensitization of the association "Africa Against Tobacco" (Aconta) crisscrosses the arteries of the capital bukinabè since Tuesday.

"It is an opportunity for us to go around the city of Ouagadougou, to talk directly with the population, to raise awareness, to let them know that smoking is a problem," says Salif Nikiema, coordinator of 'Aconta. Today, the figures give more than  4,400 deaths a year in Burkina Faso. It is enormous.  "

In addition to multiple tobacco-related diseases, more than 50 billion CFA francs (70 million euros) are spent annually on tobacco in Burkina Faso, according to Dr. Ould Sidi Mohamed, a consultant in the fight against tobacco. smoking.

"  We've seen testimonials from young people who have started smoking for 15, 20 or 30 years, " he says. There is one whose expenses have been estimated at more than 12 million CFA francs, whereas if you see him himself, he always resembles a tramp. That is why we advocate for Burkina Faso to maintain the pressure to put the images on the cigarette packets. These images will greatly help young people not to get into smoking. This will help young people who have already started to quit smoking. "

The organizers of this caravan will gather the support of the populations and their signatures through a petition for the respect of the law against smoking in Burkina Faso.

Africa, New Eldorado of Tobacco

Worldwide, 7 million people die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. Faced with this health scourge, the rich countries have responded by adopting regulations.

As a result, tobacco multinationals are increasingly turning to developing countries, particularly in Africa, where to date only a few countries, such as Senegal or Chad, have introduced legislation in this area. As a result, tobacco consumption increased by 70% between 1990 and 2010 on the continent.

Professor of Public Health, Gérard Dubois studied the strategies of tobacco manufacturers to extend their influence. "  The tobacco industry is spreading greedily on the African continent, using all the means it used a few decades ago in Europe or the United States. It is a matter of selling absolutely everywhere, sometimes at the unit and even at the exit of the schools. It wants to maintain its profits by advertising, sponsoring, by strongly opposing any taxation of its products or accepting only symbolic taxation."

Moreover, he said, "  the industry will go so far as to warn against smuggling cigarettes if prices are too high when it is well known that it is this industry itself that At the highest level organizes the smuggling of its products. By organizing smuggling, it breaks the hustle and bustle of taxation. It is a system that sometimes goes as far as controlling certain states, with an industry that has only its financial interests as its horizon."