Hookah ban leaves Malians divided

Bamako, Mali (AFP):

An unexpected ban on hookah smoking in Mali’s capital Bamako has stirred surprise as well as division.

The government’s sudden decision on August 15 to ban shishas took many by surprise — the ruling junta, in power since 2020, had not been particularly known for its concerns about tobacco.

In Mali, where free speech has been increasingly threatened since 2020, few critical voices have been raised apart from shisha bar managers.

“Was this the most urgent thing, when our country is in the grip of a multi-pronged crisis?” asked one social scientist on condition of anonymity.

The law, co-signed by six ministries, including the ministry of security, health and youth, “prohibits the importation, distribution, sale and use of shishas (water pipes) or any similar device throughout the national territory”.

Any shisha smoker will be punished with a prison sentence of one to 10 days and a fine of 300 to 10,000 CFA francs ($0.45 to $15.00).

Shisha bars have six months to close. The authorities did not provide any reason for the ban.

On social networks or in conversations in street hangouts in Bamako, the news was rather well received.

A working group of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in 2017 about the danger of shisha smoking. The practice is up to 10 times more harmful than cigarettes but is not targeted by the same awareness campaigns as with tobacco, it said.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have taxed shisha consumption. Others, including Jordan and Cameroon, have banned it.