Shambel Tufa Telila
Dire
Dawa, Ethiopia
Abstract
The
main purpose of this research is to investigate the socio-economic impact of khat
addiction on well-being family among peoples of Dire Dawa particularly in the
Sub- city of Sabean. Ethiopians especially the people of Dire Dawa has
experienced chewing Khat for a long period of time. They had been socially and
culturally on emphasizing of chewing Khat and an unaware about the impact of
khat on family wellbeing less recognized the prevalence of consumption, and
existing dominant discourse on family.
Therefore, chewers have
caused much family harm that include the socio- economic, problems, and family
broken down that strike children, which would be investigated by this research.
The number of khat chewers increases from day to day particularly more men are
highly addicted than females for thinking if they were relaxed, doing better, and to enjoy with
friend. Smoking and drinking alcohol was highly associated with khat chewing.
Majority of khat chewer lead to serious problems related to social and economic
dependence than non- chewer, who were found to be better than that of khat
users on their overall activities.
To
bring this paper into being the researcher had looked into gap, which had been
identified as socio-economic impact of khat on well-being of family in Dire
Dawa city and sub- city of Sabean. The data was collected by structured
interviews and field observation that have been gathered and analyzed by using qualitative
method of data analysis.
Keywords
Impact of Khat, Addiction and its Socio- Economic
Problems
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1. Background
Khat
is evergreen shrub that grows on high altitudes in the region extending from
Eastern Africa to Southern Africa, as well as on the Arabian Peninsula. Khat acquires the status of cash crop in
Ethiopia the country thought to be the place-of-origin of the use of khat (Cox and Rampes, 2003: 456–463). Khat (Catha edulis) is a slow growing
stimulant shrub or tree that grows in rainy area of highlands. Khat while others called Khat, Qat, Jimma, Qaad, Jaad miraa, Mairungi, and
Cath (Luqman and are several names
for (Catha edulis) depending on its origin and area of distribution; most of
people call it. As different studies, shows the most users of Khat are younger who have an age between
18-30 years, now day most of young adults are also addicted to it (Kalix, 1994: 69-74). More men habitually chewed Khat than women about 75% of men chewed Khat regularly. When compared with only
7%-10% of women, this show that men are more addicted to it than women (Alem,
2007 and kennedy, 1983). The chewing of khat
usually takes place in both a social and cultural based activity in order to
enhance social interaction, playing role in ceremonies such as wedding (Kennedy
etal, 1983:783-793).
Ethiopia is the world's largest
producer of Khat, which is the
country's fastest growing export. About a one- third of the production is
exported to Djibouti and Somalia, but the bulk of it is marketed and consumed
within the country, mostly in the Somali administrative region (Green 1999:33–49). In 1998–1999, Khat accounted for 13.4% of Ethiopia's export earnings and was the
country's second largest export item next to coffee that year (US Department of
Commerce, 2000). In many parts of Ethiopia, Khat
sometimes called (Chat) or (Catha
edulis) has emerged from an incomprehensible garden tree to an intensively
cultivated, openly grown, high value crop (US Embassy
in Ethiopia 2001). Khat is a plant of unique a stimulant consumed by
millions of people, a crop preferred by smallholder farmers, a commodity of
high foreign currency source, and an agent of socio-economic and biophysical
change (Kalix, 1990). Today in Ethiopia, all societal groups regardless of
Religion, Age, Sex, Wealth, peer Group, Education, and Occupation consume khat. In Khat chewing the leaves are effective ways of extracting Cathinone:
the chemical constituent of khat that
produces an amphetamine-like stimulatory effect (Ayana & Mekonen, 2004 and
Gebissa, E. 2008: 784).
In
Ethiopia, Khat is commonly known as cash
crop grown by great majority of smallholder farmers in Eastern and Southern
Ethiopia. Despite the daily use and consumption of Khat by millions of people and khat,
left over by livestock in Ethiopia and other countries chewing it has
deep-rooted social and cultural tradition (Kalix and Braenden, 1985).
The
fertile Hararghae high lands are the most suitable area for the production of Khat in Ethiopia. It reached to customer
legally or illegally most of consumption for the Eastern Ethiopia and
neighboring countries such as Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland (Hargesa) are
exported from this region (Gebissa, 2004
and Getachew, 1996:4-6).
Dire
Dawa is the main area of destination of Khat
that brought from different areas of Harerghae, after it reached Dire Dawa most
of it exported to the neighboring countries the rest is ready for local
consumption.”Khat Tera”, “Feres
Magala”, ”Ashewa” etc are the main market places of Khat in Dire Dawa. The people who were/are addicted with it, flow
to the areas where Khat was/is sold
to consume their daily fresh Khat
In
communities where Khat is used
regularly, it has negative impacts on socio-economic conditions and health. It
leads to loss of work hour, decreased economic, malnutrition and diversion of
money in order to buy further khat,
this is indirectly linked to absenteeism from work and unemployment which may
in turn result in fall in over all national economic productivities in
Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya (Carrier,
2007 and Hailu, 2005).
2. Research Design
The research design is the
conceptual structure within which research is conducted; it constitutes the
proposal for the collection, and analysis of data. The design includes a sketch
of what the researcher will do from writing the suggestion and its operational
implications to the final analysis of data (Kothari, 2004:32).
This research designed which stands
for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting the relevant
data and the techniques to be use in their analysis, keeping in view with the
objective of the research and the availability of time and money. Therefore,
the researcher used the qualitative descriptive method to analyze it. So, as to
make the more reliable, secure the validity and reliability of the study and
increase the depth and of my study qualitative data types were used and qualitative
type data analysis has been employed. Thus, the researcher have designed to
undertake social and economical problems that face family because of the
addiction in Dire Dawa city the sub-city of Sabean
3.
Methodology
Research
methodology is a way of systematically solve the
research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is
done scientifically. In, it we study the choice of steps that are generally
approved by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic
behind the problems. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the
research methods/techniques but also the methodology. Research is the process
of correcting the existing problems in order to propose the possible practical
solutions. (Kothari, 2004:8).
Thus, in this paper the researcher
tried to show procedures that should be followed to tackle the proposed
objectives in dealing with social and economic shocks of khat addicted individuals for the family wellbeing.
4. Types of Data
The researcher used qualitative
type of data. The qualitative type of data is obtained from interview and from
field observation. Interview question was generated by the researcher and
interviewed some selected individuals who are living in Dire Dawa City and
Sub-city of Sabean. Thus, primary data’s were collected through interview
method and field observations were directly collected from the field. Secondary
data types were also used from different written sources.
5. Sources of Data
The researcher used two sources of
data, the primary and secondary sources. The primary data were obtained from
field through interview and field observation. Secondary data sources were
obtained from published and unpublished sources. These secondary source of data
were used to relate the research problem of the past with situations on real
ground which was obtained from primary sources of data, obtained from the
field.
6. Instruments of Data
Collection
The
researcher employed different instruments to collect the necessary data, which
include the following: Structured Interview as method
of primary data collection was used that involves presentation of oral-verbal
reply and response in terms of oral-verbal reaction. The structured interviews are
characterized by a flexibility of approach to questioning. In this structured
interview method, the researcher used deep knowledge and greater skill on the
part of the interviewer. Therefore, the researcher also used the field observation, which follows a system of
pre-determined looking into the host society, to observe many things in natural
settings.
7.
Method Data Analysis
The
data was analyzed using descriptive qualitative interpretations that were based
on the qualitative data collected through field observations and interviews and
describe the findings of the study. Once the qualitative data was collected via
personal observation and interviews, the researcher used secondary data to
strengthen the ideas obtained from the qualitative analysis.
8.
Ethical Consideration
Anthropologists are concerned with ethical issues associated with societal
matters in the fieldwork. Fieldwork researchers seek permission, cooperation, and acknowledgments from governmental officials, scholars
and most importantly from the society being studied.
In this research, as a part of Anthropological fieldwork, the researcher had a responsibility to consider
the ethical issue of the people under the study. Therefore, before proceeding
to the data collection through different techniques the researcher had informed
to the host society about the nature and the purpose
of the research to gain consent and access
to the field site.
9. Finding
9.1 Social Effect of Khat
Addiction
According to my informants, Khat chewing is important for the social
relations and it was chewed in groups as essential centers for the exchange of
information. Chewing khat is merely social
event in Dire Dawa city. Khat chewing
usually takes place in groups in a social sitting, and only few of the chewers regularly
chew alone. Khat chewing was started
after lunch, after the main meal of the day which they call it (Barcha), even though some chewers start
it in morning which was called (Ijabana).
khat chewing mostly happens in
private homes, with all attendants bringing their own khat. Khat chewers were provided the opportunities to discuss a
whole range of local and national affairs. The conversations of khat chewers also reflect the interests
and current worry of the present situations, of their community and of the
segments of society, they had belonged.
For instance in my research place in Dire
Dawa city sub-city of Sabean these khat
chewer form groups of more of younger generation and majority of population
involved in it. During my discussions with these Khat chewing groups, many important administrative, business and
family decisions were addressed accordingly. After about an hour’s of chewing,
tension, emotionality, instability and irritability begin to appear, which later
leading to feelings of low temper and laziness. Chewers are likely to leave the
sitting feeling tired.
The problem was occurred after these
conditions were happened; indeed, Khat
chewers feel social isolation, feel loneliness after being stimulated. This was to mean that they caused trouble to
their family after being stimulated, even though their families understand what
they feel. For those who had already married they caused trouble at home,
children’s were shocked, if it continued family broke down was happened.
9.2
Economic Effect of Khat Addiction
Khat chewing initially created joyfulness, confidence and enjoyment as
general sense of individual comfort for those who were addicted to it. Chewers
also lose interest in their family, which could due to his inability to provide
the financial support and also the impotence production they produced to
constant Khat consumption. The family
too may suffer from underfeeding and becomes accountable to attract various
infective or deficiency diseases.
The related use of alcohol to counteract the
stimulant and troubled effects of khat
raises the risk of difficulty in economic disturbance which made the family
irritated about the financial issue. Khat
chewing is male dominated behavior of action in a society of Dire Dawa in
general the sub-city of Sabean in particular.
According to one of my informant, the use of khat causes loss of appetite leading to
malnutrition, the undernourished system becomes an easy victim to sensitive and
chronic diseases. khat consumption
affects the family budget and limits financial resources for other basic needs
and services, such as food, medication, clothing and schooling This created
social evils among the family for family breakdown, for children’s to be
orphans’, and some others become chain-smokers of cigarettes which caused
economic decline. Khat chewers tend
to sell their properties when they were out of money to afford the daily
consumption and unable to managed and overcome the chronic problems they face
at home, which finally lead to family breakdown.
9.3
Effects of Khat addiction on the
Family Wellbeing
The dominance of male khat chewers in Dire Dawa is revealed that all family occasions,
such as weddings, birth, death, and circumcision ceremonies, and the return
from the burial of places. It was the
core action to bring khat at all
family occasions regardless of race, religion, sex and age in Dire Dawa city of
Ethiopia. In occasions such as baby male circumcision, it is a gathering forced
upon the hosts by family relatives, friends and neighbors khat was brought for blessing.
Family needs change with developmental
conditions of nation’s social, economic and educational status of the
community. Family members start to look for some reasonable ways to increase
their income either by high education and finding qualified jobs, trading, and
growing high productive and valuable works. Khat
therefore, must be held directly responsible for causing damage to family ties
and slowly leading to a change in the structure of families in Dire Dawa
Furthermore, khat has been taken as a causal factor for family instability,
divorce, collapse and encouragement of criminal behavior. The chewer often
shows bad temper and spends much of the time away from home thus threatening
the unity of the family.
Thus, khat
consumption in Dire Dawa is legally and socially unsanctioned public event
which had affected families of addicted chewers, and the families of chewers took
it easy as if it were commonly happened occasions.
10.
Conclusions
In this study I had
tried to show that addicted khat
chewers had created social and economic evils on family wellbeing, which was
harm effect on family. This paper was also significantly deals with young adult
khat chewers, who have a problem on
family breakdown.
The findings suggest
that khat have a continuous effect as
social evil and economic troubles among regular khat chewers especially for those who had a family in City of Dire
Dawa in general and Sabean sub- city in particular. The attachment between
regular Khat chewing and the family
had caused pressure on family wellbeing with the intended occurring in leveling
significant relevance for family health.
Thus, addicted Khat chewers had been observed that they
tend to break their families, leave their children’s with being orphans’ and
finally they felt lonely and some of them were affected with mental disorder.
11.
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