By Kumba Leigh
‘Tabaa’ is a local Gambian term for tobacco. Also, there is an enhanced or processed version of tobacco referred as ‘Tabaa’ that has become prominent among Gambian women for some peculiar reasons. Women are using it in numbers claiming to derive sexual satisfaction and medical healing from it.
An investigation on the matter has it that tobacco is associated with cancer in many parts of the body. It also indicated that tobacco has a lot of side effects, and it is not healthy for women to insert it in their genitals, and it should be discouraged.
Taken as a whole, medical experts have warned women against applying tobacco powder to their genitals.Women who indulge in the practice claimed that it boosts sexual pleasure and helps their fertility. There is no scientific proof for either. Experts warned that tobacco powder has the potential to cause cancer, difficulties during delivery, and it is capable of affecting the normal flow of menstruation.
Unearthing the perceptions, misconceptions and the motivations behind such pervading practice, the view of medical experts, policy makers and program managers, vendors, and users have been gauged for a rounded perspective on this growing phenomenon.
Tobacco is a plant grown for its leaves, which are dried and fermented before being put in tobacco products. It contains nicotine an ingredient that can lead to addiction. This is why so many people who use tobacco find it difficult to quit. There are also many other potentially harmful chemicals found in tobacco or created by burning it.
It contains the highly addictive stimulant alkaloid nicotine as well as harmala alkaloid. Dried tobacco leaves are mainly used for smoking in cigarette, and cigars, as well as pipes and shishas. They can also be consumed as snuff, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, and sinus.
Although tobacco consumption seems to be pleasurable experience for many, it has severe health ramifications including internal organ harm or even death.
According to WHO reports, tobacco smoking for example can lead to lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It increases the risk of heart burn diseases that can lead to stroke or heart attack. Smoking has also been linked to other cancers like leukemia cataracts, type2 Diabetes and pneumonia.
All these risk apply to the use of any smoked product, including hookah tobacco smoking.
Views on use of Tabaa for
sex and healing
An anonymous Tabaa seller, a native of west coast region, who referred herself as ‘Shimankola’, literally meaning‘after dinner’ in Mandinka said Tabaa has been around for ages and that her fore-fathers would use it together with shea butter to cure injuries as well as help in baby delivery.
“There is a secret in this medicine that most people do not know. Tabaa cures most sicknesses. This medicine (Tabaa) is essential and lots of patients have benefited from it,” Shimankola claimed.
Those who believe that tobacco is a medicine claim that it cures stomach pain, wounds, infertility, and sexual appetite for women and girls, who are into Tabaa.
Shimankola explained: ‘‘I purchased the Tabaa from one old woman in Cassamance, at a centre for rituals for barren women and infertile men. The medication (Tabaa) benefits both men and women in terms of increasing their sexual appetite’’.
She dismissed the claims that Tabaa kills women, destroys their wombs and their private part. She also claimed that it has some spiritual benefits; as it can drive evil people and spiritual beings. It can be put in fire and placed in the centre of a house.
While some people, especially vendors and users believe it has some medicinal value, many others who talked to me disagree to its medicinal value. According to some community members, Tabaa is dangerous and its severity could even ramp up to destroying the private part; saying many sicknesses could pop-up aside virginal infections.
An anonymous interviewee of Bundung said she was introduced to Tabaa by one of her friends. “This is difficult for me to narrate, but is of recent that I started using it, and I only feel dizziness,” she said.
A seller, Mariama Saidykhan of Bundung, said Taaba is a medicine and since she started selling it, many are into it and she heard of no major complaints from her buyers.
‘‘This cures wounds, cellulites, and other complicated wounds. Taaba is not only used by women but also by men,’’ she said.
Another user claimed Tabaa helps in terms of delivery, and that it does heal some wounds.
“Many barren women that I know, who utilise Tabaa are now blessed with children. My deceased daughter’s delivery by the grace of God was assisted by Tabaa”.
Awa Leigh of Kohel, Jarra Central, a young girl said she uses tobacco for her sexual satisfaction, because she would not want to bring shame to her family by being pregnant.
She however admitted that the effect after use include dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, and intoxication.
For Jamilatou Barry Bah of Sare Musa in Jarra West, she uses it because her husband is old, and sexually inactive.
Others believe that Taaba cures cellulites wound. One Fatou Sillah claimed that it was Taaba that helped her recover from her cellulites. “It was mostly swelling, and it smells, but since I started applying the Taaba product, it has fast-tracked its recovery.”
Medical expert view
Dr Kalilu Jagne is a Medical Doctor at Eduward Francis Small Teaching Hospital. In this interview, he explained that tobacco has more than seven thousand chemicals.
“Every tobacco use has restrictions, because you realized that every packet of cigarette indicates that tobacco kills, and it does cause lots of health issues. Tobacco causes lung cancer, chronic obstinctive pulmonary disease, emphysema, bronchitis, skin cancer, stroke, tightening blood vessels, frequent asthmatic attacks, peripheral vascular diseases, gangrene on fingers, toes, and heart failures,’’ he said.
He warned that using tobacco in the genital track can be harmful, because it may predispose the victim woman to virginal cancer. “A lot of women are using tobacco into their virginal track; however, research has shown that they have lesion that can cause transformation and formation of virginal cancer, even cervical cancer”.
Ousman Darboe, former Programme Officer for Maternal and Child Nutrition at the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education of the Ministry of Health, noted that Senegal and Gambia share certain cultures and information. “According to women in Senegal and Gambia, their reason for using tobacco is to have chances of obtaining more fertility, curing of sexually transmitted infections and pre-sexual enhancements,” he said.
He said some users believe that after using Tabaa, their genital track is tightened. He said research has shown that when you use tobacco, you have that contraction in the genital, which does not actually track to the reality of the virgina.
Darboe affirmed that chemicals in tobacco destroy the virginal flora, which helps the virgina maintain its acidity and prevent infections.
Pointing out some of the challenges, the former programme Officer indicated lack of enough sexual education of young people at homes. He said they rather they opt for traditional ways of doing things, some of which may be harmful.
Sainabou Barra Cham, Program Officer for Non-communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health, explained that based on their ongoing investigation different ingredients are used to produce the Tabaa. “From the little we have gathered, some Tabaas are made from bark of the baobab tree mixed with Shea butter, and local incense materials like ‘Lalaleh’, ‘Goweh’, ‘Sepa’; as well as garlic, honey and some nicotine substance. Others contain some other leaves including ‘Kubejaaro’ leaves”.
She however pointed out that they cannot definitely say if some Tabaas are entirely made from tobacco, because those are produced in Cassamance, but that testing of the various Tabaa products is ongoing.
Madama Cham further explained that the use of Taaba as a sexual enhancer started in the rural areas; from the Guinea end and Cassamance, and that they began to notice it when women frequently visited the hospitals in the up-country complaining of dizziness, loss of consciousness, diarrhea amongst others.
On measures taken, the NCD Programme Officer said there has been series of health education and sensitisation programmes on sexual and reproductive health across the country, and that women are being educated on the adverse effects of applying concoctions on the female genitals.
She explained that the female genital cleanses itself, as it has natural flora and fauna and that the organisms that are found in the female genital is different from the one in the anus. “Applying soap, other detergents or substance in the genital is dangerous, as it is exposed to series of infections including lesion, and cervical cancer,” she added.
Cham however pointed out that when it comes to tobacco control in The Gambia, the custom officers at the border find it difficult to confiscate the Tabaa due to the difficulty in identifying them.
References:
Huang J. Kornfield R.
Emery S. A cross-sectional examination marketing of electronic cigarettes on Tobacco Control 2014; 23(sup 23-30
Electronic Nicotine Delivery System and Electronic Non-Nicotine Deliver items (ENDS/ENNDS) (Online.) Decis WHO, Conventio on Tobacco Control Seventh session, FCTC/COP/7(9),20
Electronic Nicotine Delivery System and Electronic Non-Nicotine Deliver items (ENDS/ENNDS) (Online.) Decis WHO, Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Seventh session, FCTC/COP/6(9), 20.
