Photos: East Africa's Controversial 'Drug'
<p>Khat like many street drugs has a variation of names, and in Nairobi it is generally known as miraa (mi~rah) or ngomba (ngo~mba). In Kenya the leaf is legal and is readily available. It stimulates the user with a feeling of alertness and well-being. Some have described it as a feeling similar to that of coffee and others more to cocaine. Khat comes from the leaves and stems of a shrub and is delivered to waiting city vendors on speeding pick up trucks. The vendors sell their products from vibanda (vee~banda) or kiosks that advertise their products through paintings. Even though the substance brings in <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/01/pm-to-intervene-over-dutch-khat-ban/" target="_blank">millions worth of revenue</a>, mainly to farming cartels, khat remains untaxed by the Kenyan government. Kenya and Ethiopia rely on Khat as a major crop to fortify their economies and in the latter country it is said to be the second largest export behind coffee.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>Also known as “African Salad,” miraa is traditionally shunned by upper levels of society though today users are found across the board. In Kenya half a kilo or a kilo of the shrub may be sold from as little as $4 to as much as $30 during the dry season or a drought. Social repercussions arise when the bread winner of a house spends their earnings on the shrub. The USA has seen operations such as “<a href="http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr072606.html" target="_blank" title="Operation Somali Express">Operation Somali Express</a>” cracking down on imports of the drug from the horn of Africa. The slideshow below chronicles Khat on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya by <a href="http://kufocusphotography.com/" target="_blank" title="Ku Focus Photo">KuFocus Photography</a>.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
checkdfpScripts();
</script></p><p><object height="400" width="620"><param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fokayafrica%2Fsets%2F72157629111412102%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fokayafrica%2Fsets%2F72157629111412102%2F&set_id=72157629111412102&jump_to="><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></object></p>
Keep reading...
Show less
