Khat chewing as a new Ugandan leisure activity

Bibliographic Data

ID2182164
AuthorsSusan Beckerleg (University of Warwick, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume3
Issue1
Pages42-54
Publication date2009-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Eastern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1753-1055 • E-ISSN: 1753-1063
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17531050802682713
OpenAlexW2093816968
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited17

A culture of hedonism that attaches a high value to leisure has prevailed in much of Uganda. Having in the past been associated only with Somali and Yemeni migrants, khat consumption has spread among all ethnic groups and to all parts of Uganda. The locus of consumption has moved from the living room to video halls, alleyways and the "ghettos" of both urban and rural areas. Khat chewing, which takes several hours if the full sequence of effects is to be achieved, is viewed as "idling" by mainstream society, and as an affront to the core Ugandan values of hard work and education. There are two types of consumer: 1) the traditional users, "maqatna", who chew khat accompanied by soft drinks; 2) the "mixers" who combine khat sessions with alcohol and/or cannabis use. The "mixers" have abandoned the rules and rituals of consumption that pertain in other khat-using settings. Many Ugandans confuse cannabis and khat, condone alcohol use, and brand khat chewers as, at best, idlers, and at worst violent criminals

Cannabis · Consumption (sociology · Khat · Mainstream · Political science · Psychiatry · Social science · Sociology · Somali · Fashion and Cultural Textiles · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

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