Big Tobacco Sets Its Sights On Africa

TIME:

It's easy enough to buy a smoke at Isa Yakubu's grocery store on a busy street in Lagos, Nigeria. Never mind if you don't have much money. Most local merchants are happy to break open a pack and sell cigarettes one at a time -- single sticks, as they're known -- for about 10 Nigerian naira, or 7 cents. "St. Moritz is the most popular brand," says Yakubu. "But [people] also like Rothmans and Benson & Hedges."

Read the whole story: TIME

Comments

[astrongfellow]

How devastating for Africa, everywhere B.T. has gone cancer and disaster has followed!
I invite you to please take a few moments to take a look and share it with those you love and care about and help them

quit the nasty ugly habit.

http://www.smoke-screen.org

Thank you

[Alarmist]

Are they prepared for the wave of cancer treatments they will need?

Big Tobacco will basically be introducing them to a deadly product, then they will have no ability to help themselves get well. Presumably, many of them cannot afford the extensive lung cancer treatments they will eventually need. So basically, Big Tobacco is locking people in a house and setting it on fire.

[tom12010]

racism 101: can't kill white people no more, kill black people instead??
really smart, kill all the people, then they can't won't buy things no more....
really fix the economy....

[NevaforLeadership]

When I read the headline to this article, my blood boiled.

It is long past due for these corporations of death to be bannished once and for all.

[mamacat]

Do the tobacco companies still claim that they don't know what they are doing? Or, do they just claim that they don't care? Either way, they are despicable.

[Savanna]

Yes...agree.

[zukervati]

Google AFRICOM and you'll get what this is all about - greed and perpetuation of West's dying industries. Next thing you know, we'll be selling them Dioxin to rid of pests, or better yet, GM cars!

[Paulo1]

I loath Afro-Centrism. It is a plague upon Africa and the retardation of African Studies.

However in this case you are absolutely correct and I won't quibble over your language. I also find the idea of flooding Africa with cigarettes to be about as blatant an act of Economic Racism as you can get.

[canyouseethetruth]

The only plague upon all people of African decent is Euro-Centrism. Heck the world for that matter.

[veritas2u]

The american way - anything to make a buck. By the way, don't just blame the tobacco corporations. They have plenty of suppliers, to include paper corporations that provide the paper that the cigarettes are rolled in, and also the cartons that the packs are packaged in. Kill trees to kill people.

[canyouseethetruth]

The American way is to make sure Americans stay on top... by any means necessary... or in the their words.. the end justify the means.

[bobo5]

Chinese people need to smoke. Leasing African land is the way.

[adele h]

why am i not surprised - they have been hitting asia as well.

[EmeraldWorld]

Another company/industry finds another way to exploit Africa for it's selfish interests.

[SolarArray]

Killing people around the world has no meaning for the tobacco industry. I'm sure they love the reports of more children smoking and will salivate with joy at the prospect.

[RofWH]

What is really nuts is that the corrupt African countries are so easy to buy off that even if the people wanted to stop importing the damn stuff, their governments won't pay any attention. Bribe$ work wonders.

[vgirl1]

Once again the giants of the American capitalist machine are willing to export illness and death to the developing and under developed nations of the world.

It is so wonderful that we continue to do all we can to build up our respect around the world and ensure we don't fan the flames of hatred and terrorism.

Let the poor and undereducated die. We'll be rich.

[cliffhammond]

They export to Japan and China as well..... and without all those pesky concerns about mortality and longevity.

[white mende man]

they will not let us d/i/e/ in peace will they?

[KossAtl]

And people wonder why the world hates America.

[cliffhammond]

Taking a cue from Joe the Camel I'm thinking of starting my own brand with the marketing moto, "The Moose Satisfies."

[KossAtl]

Bush should have called the tobacco companies the axis of evil. Doesn''t Africa and the poor have enough suffering.