|
Many are the instances where a jealous man has punched up a hapless fellow for befriending a woman from whom he is estranged -his former wife or girlfriend, a woman he has to all intents and purposes left.
He proclaims to all and sundry that he has moved on with his life and she is free to get on with hers yet the moment he sees her with another man jealous rage overcomes him, and one realises that it is all talk. He is not over her yet and until he resolves these feelings he cannot move on with his life.
Like the alcoholic beginning recovery who talks about having realised how alcohol has messed up his life and how he is going to change but who never really gets started in the programme. Yes they go through all the motions and say all the correct things but they are still unwilling to let go and 'walk the walk.' Instead they find it easier to 'talk the walk' and sooner rather than later they are back to drinking.
Kenyans too are like this when it comes to the issue of alcohol and other drugs where periodically an incident occurs and they come out of the woodwork in all shapes and hues saying how bad these drugs are and that something must be done and having satisfied themselves that they have not just stood by quietly, but have expressed moral outrage they disappear from whence they came. Until the next incident.
True to form after three young Kenyans regrettably lost their lives on 5th December they are out in full force ‘talking the walk’. But this time we need to finally face up to alcohol and see what needs to be done. For though we have just celebrated 41 years of independence a lot has changed, yet everything is still the same.
In 1977 I sat for my O-levels at Lenana High immediately after, followed by a spate of 'leavers bashes'. We wore bell-bottom trousers, and platform shoes and some of us guys plaited our hair while others had afro hair do's. Some wore earrings (or studs as they were referred to) on one ear with the ear you chose also announcing your sexual proclivity to those in the know. Yes and we all drank 'roros' short for 'keroro' or booze.
Many of us myself included smoked cigarettes while others had graduated to 'ndom' (bhang) as others still chewed contentedly on 'handas' (miraa). And yes we were going to conquer the world. There was sex too with no condoms and the worst you got was an STD, saw a doctor who gave you an injection and told you not to drink for a week and then it was business as usual.
That was 27 years ago during which time I crossed over into alcoholism, messed up my life as well as those around me, all the while drinking, and in denial until finally I slammed against the life saving barrier of reality. It held me teetering precariously on the edge of the abyss until I accepted my disease. Ironically this too was 27 years after my first drink in form one.
We could have died in any number of ways during those years. Some of my colleagues did. But those deaths were attributed to 'accidents' with nobody wanting to dig deeper. By the Grace of God I survived, but here 27 years later three young Kenyans did not and we are angry and baying for someone's blood. Somebody must pay. But did alcohol kill Master Mark Ndonye Karuu, Ms Mary Anne Nyokabi both 22 or 19-year-old Geoffrey Omenda who died in the stampede?
Because here now 27 years later, kids are again wearing platforms, bellbottoms are back, young men braid their hair, wear earings on both ears, still call bhang ndom and miraa handas and rapper Nonini has released the song keroro after a protracted wrangle with another rapper over who came up with the word first! And young Kenyans are still dying. Everything changes yet everything stays the same!
27 years later we have parents baying for someones blood. Same. We have National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) - different. Led by the National Coordinator Joseph Kaguthi they fired the opening salvo in a press conference on the 7th two days after the tragedy. Flanked by the pastors of several churches Prof David Ndetei a prominent psychiatrist read a press release.
It asked "can we afford to sacrifice the lives of our youth at the alter of easy coming tax money from selfish multinationals? Is this government happy to run on blood money - for that is what taxes from beer and cigarettes are - without regard for future generations?"
The media was not spared over their advertising nor were the relgious community who were accused of resting on their laurels instead of standing up "against the moral decadence being propagated in our society today." It concluded that "the management of Carnivore and producers of Smirnoff must be held responsible for the mayhem witnessed at Carnivore and the deaths and injuries that occurred."
At the well attended press conference, the National Coordinator added his voice by stating that "the death at carnivore is therefore just the tip of the iceberg kept afloat by glamorous youth targeted advertising of alcohol in the media. This goes on despite an explicitly Code of Advertising Practice and Direct Marketing of the Marketing Society of Kenya that prohibits advertisements directed at children below the age of 18 years. Over 50 percent of the Kenyan population falls in this bracket, which means no media in this country, should ever carry any advert on alcohol and cigarettes."
Since then all manner of views have been carried in the print and electronic media with one culprit becoming the front runner-advertisements, specifically billboards.
On the 13th two lobby groups namely the National Association of Parents and the Muslim Youth Agenda Network joined the fray with a call to pull down billboards. Mr. Sammy Musau Ndunda and Chairman of the parents group, Peter Muthuri were quoted in a section of the media as blaming "the advertisments for a 65 percent rise in alcohol abuse among the youth and 70% in smoking" They issued a 21 day ultimatum after which they said they would mobilise the parents to pull down the bill boards.
‘Talking the walk!’ A scapegoat is being sought. But this time we must walk the walk. Let us look at the event, the much touted "Smirnoff Experience". What was it about? It was about music. Several dance floors, several top class DJ's doing their thing. It was a 'designer event'. A special event.
So slightly over 16,000 young people entered the grounds. But more than this figure attended. Yet it had been clearly stated by the organisers through the media that the event was for over 18's. In this country we consider these people old enough to vote, drive a vehicle, join the military, marry, obtain a passport, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. In short we consider them legally adults.
Let us now remove cigarettes from the equation for this is not the correct forum. Even though alcohol and tobacco are drugs we cannot talk about them in the same breath as there is no safe way to use tobacco while alcohol can be used safely.
While we are at it let us leave religion out of the ratio too, for one's religion is a personal belief which though must be respected, should not be foisted on to others who might have equally religious but different beliefs.
We are now left with alcohol which we classify as a socially acceptable drug when really pressed to look at it as a drug. If alcohol was not at the Carnivore could a stampede still have occurred? The answer is yes. Any event which will record a high attendance whether of youth or adults always has the possibility of a stampede leading to injury or death.
Of the 16,000 plus who finally got into the Carnivore, the majority danced, were up close to their favourite D.Js and other celebs and generally had a good time before going home.
Some as was were witnessed on television drunk too much alcohol and were left to sleep it off in special tents or passed out elsewhere while the criminal element rifled their pockets. Yet the management of Carnivore has been accused of not having enough security to weed out these criminal elements. But how do you tell who is who? The crooks are dressed impeccably, and hardly look any different from the rest. This is the same problem in all large gatherings today including churches. People come with one goal in mind to steal. Churches post signs. If your handbag is nicked, you cannot sue.
In parking lots too signs are posted, warning that management is not responsible for your car if it is vandalised or even stolen. Yet Kenyan's are arguing the Carnivore is different because this involved loss of lives. But again I will ask how many girls schools have been invaded by boys from neighbouring schools resulting in rape and loss of tens of lives. Yet no school board or head, has been held responsible.
Still, there are only two options here. Either we ban alcohol or we recognize that it is part of our culture a super highway that runs the length and breath of the country causing great havoc unless like any driver those who would use it, first learn how to drive.
For alcohol affects negatively those who drink it as well as those who don't for as long as they cannot drive. We need to face up to the fact that the alcohol highway is amidst us and the only way to survive is to teach those who would venture onto it how to drive. How to read the roads signs indicating danger ahead and for those who crash (like me) so that they can still be helped if gotten to treatment in time.
We need to teach the passengers too about warning signs to look out for when the driver is experiencing problems, and we need to teach young people the dangers of straying onto this highway before they are old enough to drive.
But this is a job in which all stakeholders must participate and since it is not only the lives of the youth at stake here but of the adults too, that makes every Kenyan a stakeholder with a vested interest in a positive outcome. That outcome should be reducing drastically the harm caused by alcohol misuse and abuse. For this impacts negatively on every sphere of an individuals life as well as on the community around him.
I recently returned from a one month workshop in Cape Town, South Africa where mid November saw the police there ready to deal with the 42,000 high school graduands or matrics as they are called, who were out in force to celebrate the end of their high school days.
The local police stations, the Area Crime Combating Unit, Dog Unit, City Police, City Law Enforcement and Traffic Police were all mobilised. Captain Billy Jones in an interview with Dianne Hawker and Theresa Smith of the Cape Argus Newspaper stated that "the safety of our communities, including that of our students remains our priority."
He noted that while many of the matrics were well-behaved, some became unruly and rowdy when in crowds, particularly when "under the influence of alcohol or other substances." In 2002 a schoolgirl went missing, at venue where 10,000 pupils had gathered. Another pupil died, one was raped and scores were injured when bottle-throwing teenagers clashed with police.
We need police presence at any large gathering but without clashes. And we need education on alcohol and other drugs. I was therefore dismayed when I attended a public meeting called by NACADA on the 2nd of December at the Kenyatta International Conference Center to discuss the pending tobacco bill only to hear the National Coordinator lashing out at NGO's, CBO's and other such organisations who have been trying to create drugs awareness as being useless despite squandering millions of shillings.
Feeling that this was a fleeting lapse on his part I was completely aghast to hear him repeat the same sentiments days later during the press conference on the 7th as he galvanised various groups which have got Kenyans to the tear down billboards point.
Kaguthi stated on both these occasions that one well informed journalist can with his story do more help create awareness on drug issues than all these "useless" NGO's. While I agree that the media has a crucial role in this informative and educative role, to belittle the work of numerous organisations who have often with negligible funds been doing commendable work is callous to say the least.
But more worrying, it shows a lack of understanding of the problem at hand for no one person or organisation can handle the issue of alcohol and other drug abuse. It is a multifaceted problem which needs a multifaceted approach from diverse groups of bodies ranging from parents, teachers, clergy, the youth themselves, to the media.
It encompasses musicians, actors and athletes, to law enforcement, Ministry of Health and other government bodies. It encompasses treatment centers and includes the brewers and distillers. Yes even the brewers must be included.
The way forward can be broadly divided into three categories namely education, prevention and treatment. Education involving alcohol and alcohol abuse must target the whole society with different approaches for the three broad categories of consumption namely moderate, heavy and alcoholics.
For the moderate the education campaigns will aim to keep them at that level while stressing the need for those at risk of drinking like drivers or pregnant women. The heavy drinkers campaigns will be geared to reducing consumption before it advances into alcoholism or causes serious injury. Lastly with those who have developed alcoholism, education will focus on treatment to stop abuse and rehabilitate the individual, including social reintegration.
But it must also target the non-drinkers including the youngsters who have not started drinking i.e from primary school. Because these kids come into contact with alcohol in several ways including through parents or other relatives drinking. These children must be taught about alcohol at an early age, its properties what happens when a person drinks, why it causes addiction in some drinkers, and how your chances of becoming alcoholic if you start drinking at an early age are greatly increased.
There should be no hullabaloo about teaching kids so young because the alternative is their experimenting under all sorts of misinformation from their equally ignorant peers. And rest assured that all kids our children reach some point in their lives when they have to make a discussion about using alcohol or other drugs. It is a matter of when not if so let us prepare them adequately to make the right choices for themselves.
We have to teach them about those who should not drink alcohol like pregnant women, athletes, those operating machinery, alcoholics and kids under 21 even though the law in Kenya allows one at 18 years to purchase and consume alcohol. Numerous studies have shown that one is less likely to have problems with alcohol if they start drinking after age 21, hence in most states in the US the minimum legal drinking age is 21.
As these young people grow older more details can be given in their education like stages of alcoholism and immediate effects in the early and middle stages on one and how to spot those having trouble with their drinking. That too much alcohol can kill you and what to do if your friend has had too much to drink.
Use stories of recovering alcoholics since a well told story is usually better than piles of statistics. This applies to adults as well as the young. As much as there is alcohol around us so to are there recovering alcoholics as well as teachers whose lives have been impacted by alcoholics who can share their experiences. Let them listen and learn from these stories.
The other area is prevention and here we must first look at drinking and driving. Once again while in SA an interesting headline in the Cape Times of 12th November caught my eye. "Think before you drink and drive, this time your car could be confiscated." It transpired that the day before, Judge Dennis Davis granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) an order to attach a drunken driver's vehicle.
The prosecutors said that "the car was being attached as an instrument used in the commission of an offence, in the same way that a gun used in an unlawful shooting would be confiscated.” Drive Alive lobby group chairwoman Moira Winslow was quoted as saying, "It is absolutely fantastic and I am thrilled. I have been telling them to do this for years."
"Let's take the Porches and Mercedes-Benzes and even the man-in-the-streets car if he is driving drunk." She was quoted as saying. "It only needs to happen about 10 times before drunk driving stops."
Here in Kenya we have talked about drink and driving since I had my first drink about 30 years ago. People have died, in what are termed 'accidents' but which if we were to walk the walk, we would see were alcohol related. Yet not content to have drivers drink at bars then attempt to make it home we now put bars at petrol stations. So fill up the car and the driver to each his own. A lethal combination.
Nairobi PC Francis Sigei issued an order early this month banning bars (and smoking) in petrol stations. Nothing more has been heard on that. Various senior policemen had earlier in the year talked about cracking down on drunken drivers with breathalyzers, nothing more has been heard on that. NACADA went round Kenya in 2003 with a breathalyzer stopping motorists at random and testing them. From this a report was compiled- nothing more has been heard about that!
We need to define at what level by Kenyan law one is considered drunk, so that we can start cracking down on drunken driving after also considering what penalties. I would say one is the South African way. Forfeit the car to the state, which then hands it to the unit which patrols and does random checks.
At the same time drivers caught over the legal limit can undergo tests for alcoholism or problem drinking. There should be zero tolerance for minors drinking and driving and suitable penalties should be arrived at.
Hospital emergency rooms and police stations are two other crucial places to screen for alcohol problems among patients or those arrested and then see about preventing further downslide with appropriate referral, which is often to the third and last phase, treatment.
Treatment for alcoholism should be available to those who need it. This is not a matter of being philanthropic it is simply good economics for the toll caused by unchecked alcoholism is enormous. Looked at this way treatment is cost effective.
"One of the most damaging misconceptions about drug abuse is that it is a permanent problem. The truth is that treatment for drug abuse can work, and can restore value and dignity to a persons life." This message from Koffi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General, was read at the Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi on June 26 during this years International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by Mr. Carsten Hyttel UNODC Regional Representative.
Koffi Annans speech which captured the heartbreak and disruptions families and communities go through when confronted by addict aptly concluded by pointing out that "when treatment works, it benefits us all."
The theme for this year is "Drugs: Treatment Works." The United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime Representatives speech also focussed on this theme for the coming twelve months noting that the goal of the campaign is to emphasise the importance and effectiveness of drug treatment to drug dependant individuals, as well as the general public.
"Additionally, UNODC hopes to diminish the stigma attached to drug users by showing the possibilities for a positive future using the stories of individuals who have successfully undergone treatment and are engaged in productive lives."
The Ministry of Health (MoH) under whose mandate falls the responsibility for not only setting standards required to establish treatment and rehabilitation centers has failed miserably to do this. Indeed a 13 member task force set up by the MoH towards the end of 2002 of which this writer was a member also got hopelessly bogged down and to date the status of this task force is unknown.
As vested interests and turf battles continue over the issue of rehabilitation centers, Asumbi Treatment Center one of the oldest in Kenya got together over 20 recovering addicts in September this year for a four day residential workshop in Nairobi to come up with a strategic development plan for the center. The intensive workshop also doubled up as a capacity building workshop for the participants.
This was the third and final phase of an exercise which had been conducted by a team of consultants hired to conduct the whole process. It was in recognition of the valuable input by the recovering persons that they were the majority at the workshop. But other stakeholders with an interest in treatment were also present with views coming from treatment centers as far afield as Uganda.
The resulting final document due to be completed soon will not only serve as, a document for Asumbi Treatment Center, but can be used as a blueprint for Kenya and indeed with slight adjustments to suit the customs and local parameters, the region. This then is a classic example of how interested parties can get together with a common objective coupled with a keen desire to achieve this objective and quickly surmount all odds to do so.
This then should be our resolve after the Carnivore tragedy. This was a combination of several factors conspiring to come together at the same time including the criminal element who want to rob after creating confusion. There are those to who specialize is shoving which often results in organisers letting crowds in free to avoid injury.
According to the Steadman Research Services third quarter media surveys for 2004, we can rule out wrongful advertising by the brewers. In the past 7 day listener and viewer categories respectively a the 15-17 age group are both at 15%. For those who watched TV at all this same age group ranged across TV stations between 11% Metro TV to 17% EATV. The exception to this was Sayare TV with 32%. However they do not carry alcohol advertisements.
Radio Station age profiles for those who listened to radio stations at all the range for this age group is from 7% to a high of 20% on Baraka FM. Baraka too does not carry adverts for alcohol. This study therefore shows that 85% of TV viewers and radio listeners during the times which EABL advertise, are above legal drinking age.
From my own observation no advert for alcohol ever appears on TV in the afternoon children’s viewing time except for Viceroy which is part of the KWAL stable. KWAL also happens to be a government parastatal.
Still on advertising it is our own youth who advertise alcohol and sex, in their music videos, which are shown at all hours with even young children watching and mimicking and this is where really advertising of drinking, and getting ‘keroroed’ and having many chic’s and hanyeing is glorified. It is all the things the advertising code is against with even little kids in some of these videos. These are the real issues. How do we deal with this? Does the media put criteria of parameters for what they will or will not air? For nobody will make a music video/song if it will not get air play. Or do we educate them so that they re-examine their values so that they adjust their behavior and hence the content of their productions accordingly? Or a little bit of both? It is strange that all those shouting about billboards with nary a whimper about these videos made by our youth. Not the ones on 'Channel O'.
On the issue of billboards the EABL is bound by the strict International Marketing Code and when placing billboards they have to ensure that these are not placed in proximity to learning institutions like schools, where the majority are persons under the legal drinking age.
The company says however that this does not prevent them from erecting them at or near facilities that are used primarily for adult oriented events, but which may be occasionally used for an event where most attendees are likely to be under the legal purchase age (e.g a stadium that is mainly used for adult sport events, but occasionally stages youth sports activities.)
So is UDVK targeting young people in its advertising? Dr. Tony Joyce, the MD is response to this question replied that “in all our advertising and communication, we target only adults of legal drinking age as a minimum. We took numerous precautions to ensure that only legal drinking age adults were targeted for the Smirnoff Experience."
On the issue of UDVK taking responsibility for the deaths and injuries caused Dr. Joyce had this to say. "The relevant civil authorities are working to establish all the facts around the incident. They have assured us that they are undertaking thorough investigations to establish the cause of the happenings Our main priority right now is to provide whatever help and support we can to the authorities to enable them to carry out a full investigation.
"We are very saddened by the events that took place on Saturday and our thoughts are with the families affected."
As for the East African Breweries responsible drink campaign, it is aimed at drinkers, to keep the responsible ones so, highlight the dangers in drink driving and get the problem drinkers to reduce or take a serious look at their patterns. This is in recognition that though the vast majority of drinkers have no problem as a result of their use of alcohol, there is a small minority out of this total who do. At this stage we need all the help we can get.
There is an urgent need too, to look at the unbranded drinks market which covers the illict brews, traditional brews etc. which according to Research International organisation take up 45% of alcohol consumed by November 2003. This issue and the periodic deaths from this bootleg must be resolved once and for all.
During the Kenyan National Music Festival earlier on this year, most of the drunken youth were caught with the illicit fiery hooch, chang’aa in all manner of bottles. Some were so drunk even fighting with teachers and police. Many would have died here as this drink often kills the consumer due to numerous dangerous added to it to give it a kick. If one is lucky they end p blind due to methanol content. Who would have been blamed here if the worst happened? No advertising involved, no billboards. Why do they risk their lives with these drinks apart from risking arrest?
Let us all knuckle down to look alcohol squarely in the face and tackle the problems that we are faced with concerning its use. Let us tackle them together with an understanding that the problem concerns all just as the solutions will benefit all. If we can do this then the deaths of those three young people will not have been in vain. Let us walk the walk together. We owe them that much at least.
David Ogot Sr.
14th. December 2004
Nairobi, Kenya
David Ogot is a freelance journalist/producer with personal experience in alcoholism. He can be reached at goinghomedotcom@yahoo.com website: www.goinghomkenya.org
.
| 