Thank you for smoking

It’s always a bit of an adjustment to be in a state/country that allows you to smoke indoors. In Senegal, you can smoke literally anywhere, and it is very popular to do so. We passed a Philip Morris factory on our trip this past weekend, and it sparked a bit of a conversation on our bus. Although smoking is very common here, there is none of the advertising we have in America about the negative effects of smoking. Smoking is promoted, just as it was in America 20 years ago, when the information about its detrimental effects existed, but wasn’t so publicized.

The cigarette industry in America is difficult now. Younger generations are brought up with the knowledge that smoking is not good for you. We strongly encourage adult smokers to quit and offer all kinds of cessation help. The industry (and the consumer) is heavily taxed. So what have the companies done? Expand to the third world of course!

There is no tax on cigarettes here, no government requiring a proclamation of addiction and cancer risk, and a population that is generally seen as dispensable by the rest of the world. It’s always about money. It’s the same with medicine – pharmaceutical companies don’t make the effort to research diseases specific to third world nations because the people who need the medicine wouldn’t be able to pay for it anyways.

If it makes someone else rich, or if saving them would make someone else poorer, and since there are really soooo many of them on this African continent and they don’t have much to offer the world anyways – their lives aren't worth the money. But, hey, it's just business right?

To Create

We didn't go back to the women's organization today (so we will never know the conclusion of yesterday's drama), but spent some time instead at a hospital in Dakar. It was so great to see the programs being implemented for patients suffering from mental illnesses.

First we visited the therapy garden, run by a member of the Peace Corp from Tennessee named David. Here patients and their families can spend time tending the garden, and any vegetables grown are used in the hospital kitchen.

David employs urban agriculture techniques of planting in tires and plastic bottles. In this way, he is able to both recycle and teach patients techniques that allow them to grow plants in their own homes with objects easily found littered on the streets.

Next was the art therapy studio. The workshop is open to the patients and supplies them with any type of artistic materials needed (paint, clay, canvas, etc.). Some of the patients were great artists, and some not so much, but it is the creative process that can be so therapeutic. The artwork is sold at the hospital, with part of the funds going to the patient, and part to fund the studio. 

I was very pleasantly surprised to find mental illness so recognized here and so much being offered for these patients. The patients were all so nice and very excited to show off their work to us!

After lunch, we went to the Leopold Senghor Cultural Center to visit a hip-hop organization called Africulturban. The organization is home to a recording studio and radio station, and works to support the upcoming generation of hip-hop in Senegal. They organize different events to showcase the talent - we missed a huge concert that just happened a few days ago, and there will obviously be a B-boy competition with teams from all around the world right after we leave the country. Senegal is apparently at the top of the rap game right now, and we did convince one of the artists to rap for us (in French). The rappers in the studio told me their favorite American artists are Jay-Z, Tupac, Talib Kweli (my favorite!), and Kanye West.

 

 I bought a CD that I'd be happy to share when I get home :)