Banjul, Gambia – On a humid March afternoon on the outskirts of Banjul, a woman referred to as Saf carries a basket of plants from her garden to a hidden location where tobacco leaves await to be converted into the drug taba. She moves with urgency to avoid prying eyes.

Saf’s phone rings; it is a customer. She smiles knowingly, saying, “She’s one of my favorites because she keeps coming back,” with Saf’s name being a code word for “sweet” in Wolof. Secrecy is paramount for the 68-year-old taba seller who discreetly supplies the substance to women.

Taba, a local Mandinka term for powdered tobacco, has been consumed in The Gambia for generations, usually through smoking, snuffing, and chewing. However, it has recently been modified by adding other substances for different uses, including by sellers like Saf who amplify its intoxicating effects for intravaginal use.

While some traditional healers claim its intravaginal use possesses medicinal properties, health authorities and activists warn against its dangers. Nonetheless, many women continue to seek it out.

Fatmata*, aged 36, states, “Taba works wonders.” Despite being married for a decade, her husband’s absence led a friend to introduce her to the substance. “I don’t want to have extra-marital affairs for religious reasons, so I resort to taba,” she admits shyly.

However, the effects have been detrimental for others. Rose*, 28, faced severe side effects after using taba, including violent vomiting and near death. She vows never to use it again, emphasizing its danger.

The effects could be dire, with intravenous taba causing irritation, infections, and potentially leading to cancer or complications during childbirth, according to health professionals like Dr. Karamo Suwareh.

The Ministry of Health and women’s rights organizations are actively trying to educate the public about these risks, with government and other entities working to understand the impact better and possibly regulate taba more strictly. Yet, women continue to seek it out, and sellers like Saf find ways to supply it, citing economic necessity and customer demand.

Names withheld to protect privacy.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/19/i-nearly-died-taba-the-tobacco-drug-the-gambian-women-share-in-secret?traffic_source=rss