Issues Inequity

Tobacco Slave

Imperial practices in the modern age

Watch the film
Tobacco farming yields so little return that the farmers call themselves

Farmers growing tobacco under the contract system can become entangled in a cycle of debt and poverty. This first-of-its-kind film shines a light on the plight of tobacco farmers in Malawi and lets them share, in their own words, what growing tobacco is really like. Historians and local experts also delve into the colonial history of the tobacco industry and explore how its business practices have (and have not) changed over the years.

“Tobacco Slave” was released by the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, a partner in STOP

“Tobacco Slave”: How Farmers Grow Debt While Tobacco Companies Grow Profit
Tobacco farmers are sometimes left in debt to tobacco companies at the end of their growing season

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