rendezvous

Rendez-vous 179: Rachel Kitonyo about receiving the Judy Wilkenfeld Award and about tobacco control in Africa

 

Picture Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Q1. Let us start with the Judy Wilkenfeld Award. How do you feel about it, what does it entail, what does it change?

Rachel Kitonyo: I felt humbled that out of all nominations received I was thought the most worthy to receive the award.

I am also excited about the opportunity the award gives to create exposure for the work I am doing in Kenya and what we are doing on the continent.

Rendez-vous 178: Lutgard Kagaruki about tobacco control in Tanzania

Since our previous rendez-vous with Lutgard took place more than one year ago, on May 12 2007 we thought it was appropriate to ask her for an update.

Q1. Can you tell us what has changed (or not) in Tanzania since May 2007? Has the law been reviewed or is it still an on going process? Is the law better enforced or is it still a problem?

Lutgard Kagaruki:  First off all, let me start by thanking you very much, for the excellent job you are doing; keeping tobacco control advocates informed of the most current global events on tobacco control.

To come to your question: Indeed a lot has happened in Tanzania since May 2007.

Djibril Wélé à l'occasion du 16ème anniversaire du Mouvement Anti-Tabac au Sénégal

Rendez-vous 176 - 12 Décembre 2008

Bonjour Djibril et merci d'avoir accepté de participer à ce cyber-entretien.

Q1. Peux-tu d'abord nous parler de ton parcours personnel (éducation, expérience professionnelle) et nous dire quand, pourquoi et comment tu t'es impliqué dans le contrôle du tabagisme?

Djibril Wélé: Je m’appelle Djibril Wélé et j’ai 25 ans, je suis étudiant et assistant comptable.

J’ai adhéré très tôt à l’ONG MAT-SENEGAL : j’étais encore au  Collège où j’ai été le président de la cellule Antitabac.

Rachel Kitonyo, Institute for Legislative Affairs in Nairobi, Kenya

Rendez-vous 173 - October 6 2008

Rachel Kitonyo works with the Institute for Legislative Affairs-Kenya in Nairobi.

Thank you Rachel for taking the time to be with us.
May I ask you to introduce yourself by telling us a little about your personal background (education, professional experience) and when, how and why you got involved in tobacco control?

Rachel Kitonyo: I am a lawyer by profession. After graduation I worked for 1 and ½ years as a court room lawyer handling civil litigation in the areas of commercial and personal injury law before leaving practice to establish the Institute for Legislative Affairs (ILA).
I have worked for ILA for 4 years now. I have also had some experience with political parties and processes when I volunteered at the secretariat of one of the leading political parties in Kenya for one year.

Matt Myers about the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use

Rendez-vous 168 - May 15, 2007

I had sent a series of questions to Kelly Henning of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use so that we can understand better how it operates.

Matt Myers took to the task: " Kelly forwarded to me the questions you posed to her. As one of the Bloomberg grantees I volunteered to respond because each of us involved with this effort want to be sure that we all do everything inform the community about this extraordinary initiative and the opportunities presented by Mayor Bloomberg's generosity and commitment to reducing the number of people who die from tobacco use."

Lutgard Kokulinda Kagaruki

Rendez-vous 167 - May 12, 2007

Thank you Lutgard for taking the time to be with us.
May I ask you to introduce yourself by telling us a little about your personal background (education, professional experience) and when, how and why you got involved in tobacco control?
Lutgard Kokulinda Kagaruki: My name is Lutgard Kolulinda Kagaruki. I hold a MSc & Postgraduate Diploma in Medical and Veterinary Parasitology. I am Principal Livestock Research Officer at the Animal Diseases Research Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Lutgard's pictures from Tanzania

Children sorting (or swimming in ..) tobacco in Iringa Region, Tanzania 

Akinbode Oluwafemi, Environmental Rights Action's Manager In Lagos, Nigeria

Rendez-vous 166 - May 7, 2007
Thank you Bode for taking the time to answer my questions. May I ask you to introduce yourself?

Akinbode Oluwafemi: My name is Akinbode Oluwafemi. I am the Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Nigeria's foremost environmental campaign group. For over seven years, I have been involved in tobacco control activities both at the national and international levels.

Q1. I just read about ERA filing a lawsuit with the Lagos State government against BAT, Philip Morris International and the Tobacco Institute for "negligence, public nuisance, liability, conspiracy to commit actionable wrongs" and asking for $21 billion in compensation.

Luk Joossens

Rendez-vous 159  -  November 19, 2006

Our previous rendezvous with Luk took place in february 2002 and was mostly focused on smuggling.
I would like first to congratulate him for being one of the winners of the 2006 Luther Terry Awards and for having been nominated as strategic leader in the tobacco control field for the International Union Against Cancer.

Greg Connolly

Rendez-vous 156
October 23, 2005

Greg is now Professor of the practice of public health at Harvard University.

I last interviewed Greg on December 15, 1999. 5 years later, he is still the same combative and persistent activist.

Q1.Massachusetts used to be at the forefront of tobacco control. What is the situation now? What happened?

Currently, the Massachusetts budget for tobacco control is $3.5 million, about a tenth of what it was just three years ago.