Introduction
Among traditional and indigenous communities in many parts of the world, the tobacco plant is regarded as a sacred crop used for medicinal purposes, for rituals and during traditional ceremonies.[i] For centuries, the use of the tobacco plant was an intricate part of diverse cultures and tobacco was seen as a part of the cultural heritage of such communities.
While it is important to understand the cultural significance of the traditional use of tobacco, the use of commercialized tobacco is said to be a leading cause of deaths and diseases and has been implicated in the cause of over 8 million deaths annually.[ii] The question then is, is the use of commercialized tobacco products which is killing millions annually, a part of our cultural heritage?
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Back to the beginning
Tobacco has a long history and was said to have been domesticated by the indigenous people of native America for its ornamental and medicinal value, were it played a major role in their mystical, social and medicinal rituals.[iii] A report published in December 2023 by the BBC however asserts that tobacco originated from Bolivia in South America and its cultivation spread to the rest of Central America between 2500 and 3000 BC.[iv] In 1492, after the arrival of Columbus to the new world, tobacco became a highly sought after commodity. The Spanish and Portuguese colonialists were attracted to the rich and unique properties of the tobacco plant and saw in it a potential for profit. They began to trade with indigenous tribes, exchanging goods such as copper, iron, clothes for large quantities of tobacco[v] and soon after, the demand for tobacco quickly grew, driven by its perceived medicinal properties and its use as a status symbol among the European aristocrats.
By the end of the 16th century, tobacco was in widespread use in Europe and was popularised by some medical authorities as a panacea for treating a variety of ailments.[vi] As European exploration and trade increased, tobacco spread throughout the globe becoming popular amongst sailors, adventurers and traders. The dried rolled leaves were often smoked in clay pipes and in tarvans to relax and socialise after a long day of exploration or commerce.[vii]
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Tobacco’s journey to Africa
While tobacco has often been historically associated with the Americas, tobacco has been grown and used in various parts of Africa, particularly in the Northern and Southern regions long before the arrival of the Europeans. The earliest known evidence of tobacco use in Africa dates back to the 16th century in the region of modern day Sudan[viii] and in other parts of Africa such as South Africa and Mozambique, where it was used as part of traditional medicine for alleviating colds and coughs, spiritual rituals as well as for fabric production.[ix]
With the arrival of European colonialists in Africa, tobacco became a major commodity in international trade. The European colonialists established trading posts throughout Africa, introducing their own tobacco cultivation practices and markets.[x]
Rise of commercial tobacco and the exploitation of vulnerable groups
Commercial tobacco in the form of manufactured cigarettes became popular with the invention of the cigarette-making machine by James Bonsack in 1881.[xi] Several tobacco companies then came into existence in the 1880s.[xii] The invention of the cigarette-making machine and the establishment of several tobacco companies both led to the mass production and targeted marketing of cigarettes.[xiii] Marketing strategies were developed to fit the culture and needs of various demographic sub-groups.[xiv]
Transnational tobacco companies (TTC) identified potential markets for their products, and used aggressive marketing tactics as a tool to recruit the next generation of tobacco users especially among young people.[xv] TTC have also been accused of manipulating tobacco crops and tweaking the nicotine content during the manufacturing process of cigarettes to increase their addictiveness thus increasing the likelihood of those who smoke these products of developing tobacco use disorder.[xvi] Tobacco Use Disorder is a DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fifth edition), diagnosis designated for individuals who are dependent on the drug nicotine due to the use of tobacco products.[xvii]
In many communities around the world including indigenous communities where tobacco was originally regarded as a sacred plant, the high rate of commercialised tobacco use has led to high rates of health issues, lowering life expectancy and perpetuating cycles of addiction and poverty, as well as exposing young children to addictive substances.
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Today, tobacco is still a sacred plant in many communities and especially in many traditional and indigenous communities around the world.[xviii] However, its use and significance has been heavily commercialized and has led to some researchers indicating that the industry is in fact desecrating the sacredness of the plant.[xix]The sacred use of tobacco by traditional communities have also been exploited by the industry to promote the use of commercial tobacco hence it is not a surprise that in many countries, tobacco smoking prevalence among indigenous communities are higher than national prevalence.[xx]
“…among some Indigenous peoples, the modification, transformation and commercialisation of the nicotiana tobacco plant belittles and disrespects something which is held sacred.” (Waa et al., 2019)
Maina et al.[xxi] in their research suggested that the imposition of colonial institutions and rules caused a significant disruption of the aboriginal way of life and continues to have significant negative impacts on the lives and health of indigenous people, causing institutionalisation of intergenerational trauma within the family and the community; and linked it greatly to increased mental health problems and addictions. Waa et al. posit that “The global promotion of commercial
tobacco and the subsequent addiction of Indigenous peoples to nicotine products is a modern form of colonisation.”
Although cigarette smoking remains the most common form of tobacco use worldwide, there is the proliferation of the use of other forms of commercial tobacco including waterpipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks as well as smokeless tobacco products.[xxii]
Conclusion
From its ancient roots to its widespread cultivation and trade across the globe, tobacco has had a profound transition through human history and society. Today, it remains one of the most widely used, but deadly and addictive products in the world with dire consequences for both individual, public and environmental health aside the economic consequences. To honour our heritage as well as protect the health and wellbeing of every member of the society, there is a need to strike a balance between preserving the tobacco plant as part of the cultural heritage of traditional society and promoting the health of the public by educating the populace about the harmful effects of tobacco use. Becoming addicted to nicotine is not part of traditional use of tobacco, therefore commercialized tobacco smoking is NOT part of our heritage. Keeping this assertion in mind, commercial growers of tobacco should be encouraged and supported to make a transition to alternative crops. Egbe et al suggested the involvement of community leaders in tobacco control and the establishment of community-based tobacco-control programmes[xxiii] to mitigate the impact of commercial tobacco on traditional communities, assist those addicted to nicotine to quit and maintain the sacred use of tobacco for cultural purposes only.
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References
[i] Ayo-Yusuf O, Peltzer K, Mufamadi J. Traditional healers’ perceptions of smokeless tobacco use and health in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Subst Use Misuse. 2006;41(2):211-22. doi: 10.1080/10826080500391837. PMID: 16393743.; Sadik, Tonio. “Traditional use of tobacco among indigenous peoples in North America.” Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (2014).
[ii] Tobacco- Key Facts. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
[iii] The rise and fall of tobacco as a botanical medicine – PMC (nih.gov)
[iv] Tobacco: The dangerous plant’s sacred origins. https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0gvpwvn/tobacco-the-dangerous-plant-s-sacred-origins
[v] Tobacco – Atlantic History – Oxford Bibliographies
[vi] The rise and fall of tobacco as a botanical medicine – PMC (nih.gov)
[vii] Smoke on the Water: Tobacco, Pirates, and Seafaring in the Early Modern World – Intoxicating Spaces
[viii] The archaeology of pleasure: Evidence for the use of tobacco at Old Dongola in Northern Sudan (16th–19th centuries AD) – ScienceDirect
[ix] A brief agricultural history of cannabis in Africa, from prehistory to canna-colony (openedition.org)
[x] History of Tobacco. https://tobaccofreelife.org/tobacco/tobacco-history/
[xi] Ibid
[xii] Ibid
[xiii] Ibid
[xiv] Cruz TB, Rose SW, Lienemann BA, Byron MJ, Meissner HI, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Huang LL, Carroll DM, Soto C, Unger JB. Pro-tobacco marketing and anti-tobacco campaigns aimed at vulnerable populations: A review of the literature. Tob Induc Dis. 2019 Sep 18;17:68. doi: 10.18332/tid/111397. PMID: 31582956; PMCID: PMC6770621.; Top 10 Communities Disproportionately Affected by Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use. https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/by-the-numbers/top-10-populations-affected
[xv] Tobacco Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Risks and Challenges | Nicotine & Tobacco Research | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
[xvi] The smokescreen of the tobacco industry’s use of science | UICC
[xvii] Tobacco Use Disorder DSM-5 305.1 (Z72.0) (F17.200) – Therapedia (theravive.com)
[xviii] Waa, Andrew, et al. “Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and healthy Indigenous futures: an oxymoron?.” Tobacco Control 29.2 (2020): 237-240.
[xix] Ibid
[xx] Merkin, A., Akinfieva, S., Nikolaev, A., Rocheva, E., Komarov, A., Nikiforov, I., & Glover, M. (2022). Tobacco use among Kola Sámi, the indigenous people of the Murmansk region, Russia: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2022.2124630
[xxi] School-based interventions for preventing substance use in indigenous children ages 7–13: a scoping review protocol | BMJ Open
[xxii] Non-cigarette tobacco products: What have we learned and where are we headed? – PMC (nih.gov)
[xxiii] Egbe, Catherine O., Inge Petersen, and Anna Meyer-Weitz. “Community participation in tobacco control in a Nigerian setting.” Journal of Psychology in Africa 23.2 (2013): 311-315.