Yemeni khat chewers just don't want to quit (Feature)

By Nehal El-Sherif Oct 26, 2010, 3:06 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - The streets of Yemen's capital fill up at the end of a workday, nearly every man crowding the ancient passages of Sana'a with a noticeable bulge in his cheek, as if storing a small ball in his mouth.

As the sun goes down, it is the hour for khat, a local tradition which for Yemenis might be on par with the famed tea time of the former British Empire.

Millions of Yemenis, mostly men, chew the leaves of the mildly narcotic khat plant that is grown locally, consuming vast quantities of scarce water supplies and using up limited capital resources.

But across the Gulf country, and neighboring lands in the Horn of Africa, khat is a key element of social life, chewed by groups of friends who gather in parks or at home to drink tea while having a chat and enjoying a light high.

Taxi drivers and salesmen gather to chew the leaves throughout the evening in the markets of Sana'a, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one that boasts buildings that are were constructed over 1,400 years ago.

Users bite off countless tips of leaves from big bushels, working them slowly into a ball in their mouths, sucking continuously for hours. They absent-mindedly stop every so often to squeeze the wad and bring out the juices for a greater effect.

'Without it, I wouldn't be able to concentrate,' one taxi driver said through a mouthful of leaves, his tongue working the khat.

He drove slowly through the afternoon traffic in Tahrir square, central Sana'a, which was overflowing with khat vendors, as Yemen keeps the plant legal, unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia which has banned the substance.

Popular for hundreds of years across the region, the substance shows no sign of losing its appeal in Yemen.

'Everybody buys khat and we all like it,' said Zakariya, a vendor in an open-air market, as he handed out bundles of khat to buyers. A bushel can cost the between 5 and 15 dollars.

Men interviewed admit to spending a sizable portion of their income on khat, in a country where people struggle to obtain the basics in life.

Yemen ranks among the 10 most 'food-insecure' countries in the world, with a recent World Food Programme study showing that nearly one-third of the population of 23 million do not have enough nutrition.

And khat, for economists, ecologists and health officials, has come to be a symbol of all that ails this poor country.

While situated in an otherwise affluent region - oil and gas reserves boosting the coffers of neighbours like Saudi Arabia and Qatar - international aid groups believe that over 40 per cent of Yemenis live below the poverty line.

Adding to the food shortages, many farmers have replaced coffee bean or wheat cultivation with khat, which accounts for nearly half of all agricultural water usage, in this mostly arid land.

A UN Development Programme study found that 33 per cent of Yemenis lack access to safe drinking water.

Cancer is also on the rise in the country, the UN's information service IRIN reported last month, and many cases of mouth and gum tumors are attributed to khat chewing.

Despite many warnings, including a classification by the World Health Organization which described khat as a drug of abuse that creates psychological dependence, committed users do not believe the bad press about their beloved plant.

'No, it is not addictive, it just helps men gain more energy to finish their tasks,' said Abdou, 47, who works as a driver for a car hire company. He was echoing a common sentiment that khat is good for one's manhood.

Abdou, who has six children, says he never chews while on duty, but quickly argues that khat stimulates work capacity and counteracts fatigue.

'Drivers who have to take a long drive at night, for example, keep chewing to be able to be alert throughout the ride,' Abdou related.

Campaigns over the last 15 years, aiming to stop the use of khat among citizens, have failed, leading officials to try their luck at convincing people to limit the plant to a weekend habit. But that too was unsuccessful and an after-work chomp remains an almost sacred past-time.

'I never chew it,' says Mohamed Youssef, who sells silver accessories in the small town of Thulla, some 45 kilometres west of Sana'a. 'It does not do me any good, and I do not want to lose even small part of the little I earn on khat.'

But he seemed to be part of a minority of adamant anti-khat Yemenis.

As the country faces multiple crises - from a dire economic outlook to armed rebellions in the north and south and a lingering al-Qaeda presence - some chewers, relaxing with a wad of khat in their mouths, say it is sometimes better to forget the problems of the world.

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