My story with Qat - Part one

By Anis Albasha


  If you live in Yemen and you are invited to a casual friends’ gathering, you will have to chew Qat. If you are at a Yemeni wedding party, you are expected to chew Qat with the celebrating people. Even if you are going to pay a condolence at a funeral, you have to chew Qat with the comforters! The rule is, whenever there is a social gathering in Yemen, you can't skip chewing Qat. This plant, which originally came to Yemen from Africa, has become a major part of the Yemeni social/cultural life.

In fact, Yemeni people usually do all the socializing during Qat sessions which normally take place every day after lunch and last for 5 to 6 hours or sometimes even more. Under the influence of Qat, People tend to be chatty and they get into a very good mood or let's say into a 'dreamy' mood which makes them build a lot of castles in the air. During Qat gatherings, Yemenis can talk politics, economics or whatsoever. And if you want to enter their world, all what you have to do is to share their number-one daily activity, Qat chewing. Otherwise, you will be socially excluded and isolated.

  Known scientifically as "Catha edulis", and being classified by Health World Organization WHO as “a drug of abuse that can produce mild-to-moderate psychological dependence (less than tobacco or alcohol”, Qat plays a pivotal role in Yemen. In fact, we can say that the life of 90% of Yemenis is revolving around this plant. They claim that Qat is not bad and it has magical effects. According to professional Qat chewers, it puts them in a state of ecstasy and gives them stimulation. Scientifically speaking, Qat leaves 'contain cathinones,  an active brain stimulant that is similar in structure and pharmacological activity to amphetamine which is used to treat some health problems.' 

In addition, Qat can cause a number of health troubles such as serious adverse neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular, dental, gastrointestinal and genitourinary effects. From an agriculturally perspective, growing this hideous plant consumes a great amount of water, leaving people and important crops face severe shortage of water. Moreover, it is no secret that this daily habit of chewing Qat for long hours is an actual waste of peoples’ time and money. 

  The funny thing is that during the process of chewing Qat, Yemenis have illusions of finding sufficient solutions not only for their own problems, but for all the issues that plague the entire world! But after finishing chewing Qat, all those illusions fade away and the chewer find themselves in a depressed mode. Chewers have to struggle with the post-chewing symptoms which vary from one person to another. Some people feel frustrated and lost while many have a decreased appetite. Others may have insomnia and late wake up the next morning.

  Despite all those facts, Yemenis claim that life would be unbearable without Qat. They also argue that Qat gives them the energy and ability to stay focused which are two important factors to get things done. Workers would tell you that it gives them energy and helps them to accomplish their job perfectly. Similarly, students would say that Qat makes them study harder. However, when it comes to reality, the results are different. Most of the work in Yemen is not done perfectly and many Yemeni students cheat in order to pass exams even though they chew ‘harder’!

  So, as a non chewer who was born and raised in Yemen, how did I manage to live in a ‘Qat-chewers’ land? That is what I am going to talk about in ‘My story with Qat-part2’.