9 May 2009
THE Tobacco Free Association of Zambia (TOFAZ) has resorted to the use of performing arts in its campaign to discourage the cultivation and consumption of tobacco.
TOFAZ executive director Brenda Chitindi said during a tobacco control workshop in Lusaka yesterday that the organisation intended to use all effective means to free the nation from tobacco.
Ms Chitindi said the organisation wanted to sensitise the tobacco consumers through the use of drama groups to get the message across.
She said using artistic means to sensitise the nation would be the easiest way of delivering the message to the nation.
She said most of the youth lacked knowledge on the dangers of consuming tobacco and needed to be sensitised.
Ms Chitindi said so far the Government had spent more money on sending people abroad for treatment instead of using that money for other economic issues.
She said her organisation would no longer sit down and watch things go wrong as people suffer because of tobacco consumption.
She said her group also intended to reach out to the tobacco farmers to stop growing tobacco and instead grow other crops that would be of benefit to the nation.
"We want to reach out to the nation to stop growing tobacco in Zambia and grow something that will not contribute to harming the people of Zambia," she said.
Ms Chitindi expressed happiness at the Government for agreeing to support the tobacco control programme.
She said the programme would be funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Meanwhile, Institute of Economic and Social Research researcher Richard Zulu said that there was need to implement the World Health Organisation framework convention on tobacco control.
He said the research institute would help in conducting research in various communities and share the fundings with the general public.
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