Walk down any major street in Yemen in the
afternoon or evening, and you'll see men with
bulging cheeks, chewing qat leaves; their
constituents, cathinone and cathine, produce a
high. Qat or Catha edulis is cultivated in
the Horn of Africa as well. But in Yemen,
buffeted by fierce government-tribal clashes in
the north, renewed secessionist strength in the
south and dwindling oil revenues, the qat shrub
is just about holding the Arab world's poorest country together.
Qat chewing occurs almost everywhere in Yemen,
except tourist hotels (one in Aden greets
visitors with a sign, "Guns and qat are not
allowed"). Many private homes have a comfortable,
well-ventilated room, or diwan, set aside for the
purpose. But it is at street level that the
pervasiveness and tempo of the activity can best
be appreciated, in the qat markets, or drifting
amid those chilling out on it or consuming it
during their workday as a taxi driver or an
attendant for kids' camel rides at a park, or
just shopping for fruit and vegetables.
If it is a ritualised activity, it is a seamless
one, like taking coffee after a meal is for a westerner.
Partaking of this natural amphetamine is not
prohibited in the Qur'an, and the jury remains
out on whether it is addictive or harmful.
Accepted in Yemen, it is not in other Arab
countries; and while legal in the UK and much of
Europe, it is banned in France, Norway, Sweden, the US and Canada.
<http://mondediplo.com/2009/12/19yemen>Link
--
Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2010/01/qat-yemens-afternoon-high.htm>monochrom
at 1/02/2010 02:24:00 PM
