The Need for Speed: Contrasting Timeframes in the Social Life of Kenyan Miraa

Abstract

This article contrasts two very different timeframes in the ‘social life’ of the plant stimulant miraa – known elsewhere as khat – in Kenya and beyond. One timeframe is connected with the old miraa trees growing in the Nyambene Hills District of central Kenya: these are known as mbaine, and are greatly respected for their age and link to the past. The miraa from these trees is put to much ceremonial use by the Meru inhabitants of the Nyambenes. The other timeframe is the very different one of the harvested stems. These stems are highly perishable and so must reach the consumer quickly, leading to urgency in their trade and transportation: the ‘need for speed’. The globalization of the miraa trade has intensified this urgency further: the stems are now desired as far away as North America. Miraa trees have not escaped this ‘commercial’ timeframe, and some farmers experiment with chemical sprays to speed up the production rate. The article concludes by arguing that such attempts to speed up the timeframes of the trees are met with resistance, and have not diluted the cultural significance of ancient mbaine trees and their ancestral links.

Khat Special Edition Introduction

“…Cathinone breaks down rapidly in leaves and stems once twigs are cut from the live khat plant. This volatility is well known to producers and consumers and has shaped the development of the trade, so that rapid transportation has defined the geographical spread of markets (Carrier, 2005b;Gebissa, 2004). If ingested within 36 hours of harvesting, khat activates the central nervous system, producing a mild euphoria, followed by a more contemplative, quiet state.…”

Is Miraa a Drug?: Categorizing Kenyan Khat

“…13 The oldest trees are called mbaine, the name of an old Meru generation set linked proverbially to the distant past, and such trees are regarded as producing the finest miraa (see Carrier, 2005a;Goldsmith, 1994). Tigania and Igembe people often emphasize that chewing miraa was once the sole preserve of the elders alone, while this claim might not necessarily reflect accurately earlier consumption patterns (see Carrier, 2005b), the substance certainly has a special link with the elders, and this does not appear diluted despite miraa's popularity with youth.…”

Illicit livelihoods: drug crops and development in Africa

“…As with cannabis, the story of khat's role in development does not end in the main producer regions of Kenya and Ethiopia, however: it also now extends to growing production regions in Uganda and northern Madagascar, as well as generating livelihoods for its wholesalers, retailers and exporters (Carrier 2005). Indeed, in describing the expanding importance of khat production in several regions of Uganda, Beckerleg makes similar points concerning the positive role khat can play in improving rural livelihoods.…”