Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Noncommercial alcohol as a problem

The International Center for Alcohol Policies recently released a report, Noncommercial Alcohol in Three Regions, that looks at central and eastern Europe (such as Belarus and Ukraine), subsaharan Africa (such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe), and South Asia (such as Sri Lanka).  For more, see here.  The report defines noncommercial alcohol as "traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited local trade and counterfeit or unregistered products." 

Early beer brewing in Rhodesia (article)

Peter Sternberg, "Early History of Beer Brewing in Rhodesia," Heritage of Zimbabwe no. 23 (2004): 140-146.

tobacco in colonial Zimbabwe (book)

Steven C. Rubert, A Most Promising Weed: A History of Tobacco Farming and Labor in Colonial Zimbabwe, 1890-1945 (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1998).

Colonial Zimbabwe

West, Michael O. “Liquor and Libido: ‘Joint Drinking’ and the Politics of Sexual Control in Colonial Zimbabwe, 1920s-1950s.” Journal of Social History 30:3 (1997), 645-668.

Farmers Threaten to Stop Growing Tobacco

The Herald (Harare) reports (12 April 2005) that Zimbabwe farmers who delivered their crop to the auction floors hoping for "meaningful returns" last week have threatened to withdraw from tobacco farming next year citing the poor prices on offer. Farmers are protesting against the sharp drop in prices from US$2,90 last year to an average of US$0,22 per kilogramme. Find the full story here.

Tobacco farmers boycott auction in Zimbabwe

Reuters reports (6 April 2005) that Zimbabwe's tobacco marketing season failed to take off this week as farmers refused to sell at the price offered by merchants at the Tobacco Sales Floors in the capital, Harare. Buyers offered the farmers a maximum of US $0.45 per kg, down from $3 per kg last year, but farmers are demanding not less than $3 per kg and have threatened to withhold their crop until fairer prices are obtained. Of the 1,000 bales brought to auction, only 300 bales had been sold by the time the boycott started. Find the full story here.

Mugabe snuffs Zimbabwe tobacco, fueling Zambia boom

ZWNews.com reports (17 March 2005) that Zimbabwe's neighbors are profiting from President Robert Mugabe's land redistribution program, which has ravaged the world's second-biggest tobacco export industry since 2000. More than 340 commercial farmers have relocated to Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania, creating jobs and boosting exports from some of the world's poorest countries. Find the full story here.

Zambia tobacco exports to more than triple in ’05

Pakistan's Daily Times reports (10 March 2005) that Zambia’s tobacco exports will rise to nearly 52 million kg in 2005 from 14.3 million kg last year, helped by investments by white farmers who fled neighbouring Zimbabwe. Find the full story here.

Alcohol, Racial Segregation and Popular Politics in Northern Rhodesia (Article)

Charles Ambler, "Alcohol, Racial Segregation and Popular Politics in Northern Rhodesia," in The Journal of African History 31 (1990): 295-313. The article is available through JSTOR.

Eagle: Africa's New Sorghum-Based Beer

For iafrica.com (2 February 2005), Lynn Bolin reports that SABMiller, one of the world's largest brewers, has launched a new brand of clear sorghum beer, Eagle, which is aimed at helping African sorghum beer drinkers move up the beer ladder to clear lager by bridging the gap between the two.