Tungamirai Zimonte is a 30 year old, heart driven artist and activist with skills in journalism, social media, brand identity design and content creation.
“My wish is to combine the knowledge and experience I have in these areas to make Africa a better place.” He is the founder and director of Youth against Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (YADD) since 2006 and coordinator for the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in Zimbabwe. He shares his opinion on the alcohol industry, youth and SAAPA…
“Africa is the new darling of multinational beverage companies looking to drive profits in an increasingly booze-saturated world. The continent has the perfect emerging-market conditions: a relatively small amount of commercial alcohol is being consumed; there is a rising middle class with disposable income; a huge market of young people is about to come of age; and there is an informal moonshine sector”*
Your comment on this? What can be done to halt or reduce this trend?
It’s a tragedy in waiting if Big Alcohol has its way. Africa is being targeted by a ruthless and insensitive alcohol industry that is losing its grip in the developed world because they are aware of the harm that alcohol causes to the health and social fabric of western society. In much of the western world the behaviour of the alcohol industry is increasingly being monitored by government and non-governmental bodies but in Africa little of that is going on.
Big Alcohol’s insatiable drive for profit will leave a trail of misery and destruction – the end goal of which is POVERTY and the UNDERDEVELOPMENT of the continent. African governments and civil society in the interests of the masses should be wary of the unholy alliance of Big Alcohol and its agents such as the International Center for Alcohol Policy (ICAP). They should not be hoodwinked into selling out their people’s health and well-being in support of the commercial interests of Big Alcohol.
There is need of creating an informed society through public education; to prevent alcohol misuse and to reduce harms to the individual and society. Responsible advertising and promotions should be adhered to. This can only come about through having effective evidence based, health centered alcohol policies free from vested commercial interests.
We need to partner with our governments to provide employment and viable alternatives like vocational and entrepreneurship training for our young people to keep them gainfully occupied and provide recreational facilities where youth can have fun in alcohol free spaces.
Why do you think it is important for young people to get involved in SAAPA and YADD activities?
Africa has an average age of 18 years which makes young people the majority and it’s only right to have the majority get involved in issues that affect them. Disenfranchising the majority in the interests of the minority can only lead to social upheaval as history has proven time and time again.
It is self-evident that children and young people in Southern Africa are the target of the alcohol industry. They are being exposed to an avalanche of alcohol advertising – to entice them to start consuming alcohol, and to persuade them to use more alcohol all the time.
The net effect is to create a wasted generation that has no constructive role to play in terms of the development of the continent. The alcohol industry wants to destroy Africa’s young leaders; they want a continent led by unhealthy delinquents, who make unsound and drunken decisions thus subverting the people’s right to development, health and wellbeing in support of the commercial interests of Big Alcohol.
The Alcohol industry has an evil track record of directly targeting children and youth to protect and boost their profits by making alcohol (which is nothing but a poison) look glamorous. Young people should know that there is nothing glamourous about contracting an STI, there is no glory in being maimed or dying in a road accident, prison and poverty are not glamorous; this is the dark side Big Alcohol tries to hide. So young people have to get up and stand up against this evil in our midst.
Can you tell us about the changes in your perspective regarding alcohol policy in Africa in general and in Zimbabwe in particular? What is your vision for SAAPA in Zimbabwe?
My perspectives have changed in that before SAAPA, I was of the impression that any policy so long as it’s an alcohol policy is good enough to regulate the operations of the alcohol industry and protect the health and well-being of society.
SAAPA made me aware of the reality that the alcohol industry has vested interests and is taking advantage of the sincerity of African governments’ in formulating alcohol policies by hoodwinking them into adopting alcohol policies that safe guard the commercial interests of the alcohol industry disregarding evidence on alcohol prevention developed by independent alcohol researchers thereby compromising public health.
In Southern Africa research has shown that the alcohol industry assumed a significant role in designing national alcohol policies resulting in industry-orientated draft policies across the region. It’s pretty much like having hard-core criminals and convicts being involved in the construction of a prison that would likely incarcerate the same criminals, whose interests would the criminals represent and how secure would that facility be?
In Zimbabwe the draft alcohol policy created an outcry from some sections of the public who did not understand the importance of the policy and thought it was meant to criminalize the drinking public. What this shows is that community participation is crucial to ownership and effectiveness of any successful national alcohol policy.
With SAAPA we hope to demystify the negative perceptions attached to alcohol policy by involving and enlightening as many people as possible that a good policy has the health and well-being of the people at heart, alcohol policy based on evidence sourced locally and internationally coupled with sustainability is essential to success. We plan to push for amendments to the current draft alcohol policy in line with the WHO alcohol policy guidelines – as outlined in the 2010 WHO Global Alcohol Strategy.
Our hope is that as SAAPA we manage to achieve the goal of creating a healthy and empowered region free from the harmful effects of alcohol.
What are some of the activities that have happened in Zimbabwe since the launch of SAAPA in the region?
Zimbabwe is a relatively new member of the alliance having been charted in December 2015. It was an achievement to have an audience with Dr Timothy Stamps, who is the Health Advisor to the President and Cabinet, and at the forefront of many battles with the alcohol industry and has on numerous occasions challenged them on their unethical advertising and marketing practices.
We took 4 young people to Zambia for an alcohol advertising advocacy training workshop in January. They will inform our activities as we continue to lobby for health promoting policies and challenge the unethical practises of the industry.
In February we met up with the IOGT International President Kristina Sperkova and Board Member Brenda Mkwesha where they shared with us their global campaign “Bigalcohol.exposed”.
In March we were part of the International Women’s Day Schools Concert where we took the gospel of SAAPA to the more than 400 school children and their teachers. We also took part in the campaign to end child marriages and rape.
Currently we are working on a song that we hope will have other artists from Africa collaborating on. The song is to raise awareness on the associated harms related to alcohol. We are happy of the progress we are making regardless of the snail’s pace and teething stages we find ourselves in
Your message to the readers across African countries and how they can help SAAPA? Any final comments? Something you’d like to add?
Readers can help SAAPA by being actively involved in and monitoring the alcohol policy processes in their respective countries. They should urge their governments to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the people by formulating and implementing evidence based health centred alcohol policies free from vested commercial interests. Alcohol policy is not meant to criminalize the drinking public or create a nanny state
I would also like to add that alcohol policy is not something new or alien to Africa, our ancestors had policies to deal with alcohol way before the advent of colonialism. We can also tap into this indigenous knowledge from the past. The struggle against Big Alcohol continues until victory is certain.
* Time’s Magazine : http://world.time.com/2013/08/09/africas-drinking-problem-alcoholism-on-the-rise-as-beverage-multinationals-circle/