The international community celebrates World No Tobacco Day on May 31st under the theme "Unmasking the lure – combating nicotine and tobacco addiction." This topic raises questions about the tobacco industry's strategies for attracting new consumers and the health consequences of nicotine addiction.

In Kédougou, awareness campaigns conducted over several years seem to have little impact on smoking habits. In the streets, markets, gathering places, and even in some public spaces where tobacco consumption is prohibited, cigarettes continue to burn uninterrupted.

But it is especially in artisanal gold mining sites that the phenomenon takes on a particular scale.

In the gold mines, cigarettes are everywhere.

Under a blazing sun, amidst the dust and din of mining activity, many gold miners chain-smoke from morning till night. Some claim that tobacco helps them endure the long hours of work in particularly difficult conditions.

“When I’m working down the mine, I need to smoke. Without a cigarette, I don’t have the energy to get through the day,” confides Moussa, a young gold miner we met at a mining site. The addiction is so strong that several workers sometimes share a single cigarette, two or three to a cigarette.

The first signs of deteriorating health

However, the health consequences are starting to be felt by some regular smokers. Abdoulaye, a well digger for several years, admits to suffering from respiratory problems. "I have difficulty breathing when I'm at the bottom of the hole digging. Often, I'm short of breath and I cough a lot. I know that cigarettes are partly to blame, but quitting has become very difficult," he confesses.

The same observation was made by Oumar, who was in charge of security at a mining site. "I'm addicted. After every meal, I need a cigarette. If I don't smoke, I feel like I haven't eaten. It's become a habit I can't seem to break."

Others go even further in their addiction. "With three glasses of tea and about twenty cigarettes, I can go a whole day without eating," says a gold panner, aware of the risks, but unable to give up tobacco.

Healthcare professionals are raising the alarm

According to several health workers in the region, cases of chronic cough, breathing difficulties and cardiovascular diseases linked to smoking are regularly observed in health facilities.

A nurse interviewed in Kédougou reiterated that tobacco remains one of the main risk factors for many diseases. "Smoking doesn't just affect the lungs. It also increases the risk of cancer, high blood pressure, strokes, and heart disease. Many smokers only realize the damage once complications have already developed."

"I wish I had never started."

In the town of Kédougou, Mamadou, a painter by trade, now regrets having started smoking in his teens. "At the time, I thought it was just a hobby. Now, I sometimes feel a tingling sensation in my chest. I'm starting to worry about my health. If I could go back, I would never have touched a cigarette."

His testimony illustrates the regrets expressed by many smokers who struggle to break free from their addiction despite their desire to quit.

A public health challenge

On the occasion of this World No Tobacco Day, health stakeholders are calling for strengthened prevention efforts, particularly among young people and workers at artisanal gold mining sites where consumption remains particularly high.

Faced with an ever-increasing addiction, health authorities believe it is urgent to increase information campaigns in order to better explain the dangers of tobacco and encourage smokers to undertake a process of quitting.

In Kédougou, despite numerous awareness campaigns, the fight against smoking remains a long-term battle. Between deeply ingrained habits, nicotine addiction, and a lack of awareness of the risks, cigarettes continue to attract many users, often to the detriment of their health.