Our association Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) needs your intervention to stop in our country, Burkina Faso, a particularly vicions advertising campaign for tobacco. Germany has good reputation among our fellow citizens, especially with our youth. A tobacco company, Mabucig, decided to turn this réputation to enfance the consomption of cigarettes by including in its advertisements the German passport with this title: "Make a strong impression." In other words, smoking would have the same effects as exhibiting or possessing a German passport. Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) drew the attention of the German Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Dietrich Pohl, to this outrageons use of the German passport to endorse cigarette smoking. Despite the statement that we released in the press and relayed online (http://bit.ly/KeindeutscherPassfürTabak1), despite protests on social networks, despite the growing indignation of our most aware citizens, this campaign continues with the tacot consent of the German authorities in Burkina Faso.

1. 
Sonja von Eichborn
Leiterin
UNFAIRTOBACCO
c/o BLUE 21
Berlin
Purpose : No German passport for tobacco in Burkina Faso!
P.J. : Press release 02/12/15
Copie : Consumers League of Burkina Faso,
Journalists Network for Tobacco Control in Burkina Faso (REJAT-BF)
Observatory tobacco in francophone Africa, African NGOs against tobacco
Tags : tobacco # smoking # tobacco control # Mabucig # Imperial Tobacco # illegal adver-
tising # German passport # burkina faso # cigarette # blue 21 # unfairtobacco # cedev
Dear Sisters, and Brothers,
Our association Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) needs your intervention to stop in our country,
Burkina Faso, a particularly vicious advertising campaign for tobacco.
Germany has good reputation among our fellow citizens, especially with our youth. A to-
bacco company, Mabucig, decided to turn this reputation to enhance the consumption of
cigarettes by including in its advertisements the German passport with this title:
"Make a strong impression." In other words, smoking would have the same effects as
exhibiting or possessing a German passport.
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2. Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) drew the attention of the German Ambassador, His Excellency
Mr. Dietrich Pohl, to this outrageous use of the German passport to endorse cigarette
smoking. Despite the statement that we released in the press and relayed online
(http://bit.ly/KeindeutscherPassfürTabak1), despite protests on social networks, despite
the growing indignation of our most aware citizens, this campaign continues with the
tacit consent of the German authorities in Burkina Faso.
In Germany, the government believes that youth should be protected against the maneu-
vers of the tobacco industry and leads to secure this protection a vigorous policy against
smoking. Here in Burkina Faso, the same German government seems to feel that our
youth is not entitled to protection, and the silence of the embassy and the deposit
brought by the German passport on these ads helps ruin Policies which stand against
smoking, and which the authorities of Burkina Fasoso struggle to finance. Are German
youth and Burkina Faso youth so different to the risks associated with smoking? Why
those who protect their youth in Germany are contributing to destroy ours in Burkina
Faso? Are our citizens less fatal to the dangers of tobacco as are German citizens? Is
Death from tobacco abuse entangles to nationality, skin color, wealth, religion, culture,
gender ... that we take every precaution in Germany and none here in our country? The
cigarette is any less poisonous in Burkina Faso than is it in Germany?
It is the conviction of Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) that humanity cannot move forward un-
less reaching Globalisation of human and social rights, but certainly not by creating bor-
ders with death on one side being a scandal which we must fight against, and the other
inevitable that we must simply accept. If we all have the same right to live, then we
must all have the same right not to die from poisoning!
Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) needs your support. You are all on the front line in the fight
against tobacco, so make the German authorities understand this simple message: "No
German passport for tobacco in Burkina Faso". Write to His Excellency Mr. Dietrich Pohl,
German Ambassador to Burkina Faso (info@ouagadougou.diplo.de) to tell him that the
German passport in Mabucig advertisements is experienced as humiliating by all of
those fighting against smoking in our country. Spread the word on social networks to
prevent our youth from falling under the illusions of the tobacco industry. No, there are
no common benefits shared between the German passport and a pack of cigarettes, says
Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) to those who are not listening, probably because they think
that the life of a young African is worthless…
Please help us, because these people will not stop if we are alone in this fight. The fight
against tobacco must be a global fight.
Dear Sisters and Brothers, you all know that the fight against tobacco industries, is more
like the fight of little David against Goliath; so imagine what it can be if Goliath has the
support of German power, and you are an association almost without means to convince
a population haunted by the mere desire to simply ensure daily survival.
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3. In Burkina Faso, we are a society already decimated by so many evils; so thank you for
the little that you can do to prevent tobacco from adding to the number of death...
Sincerely,
Évariste Konsimbo,
President of Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev)
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4.  About #cedev
Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) is a Burkinabè association, founded in 2002 on the initiative of
Mr. Evariste Konsimbo, and committed for large diffusion of civic education among the
population.
Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) leads campaign and training, especially during different polls.
It organizes or participates in all democratic debate on current issues. It also goes on the
field to defend the social and human rights. Lastly, it maintains partnerships with many
associations, non-governmental institutions and organizations.
In its fight for everyone to be a useful citizen to society, and for society to take into ac-
count the human and social rights of each individual, Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev) was an
enlightened actor of the citizen mouvement on October 30, 2014, and works to be the
hope of a society of developpement, justice, democracy and republican debates.
 Contact
 Évariste Konsimbo, President du Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev)
 +226 78 81 93 98
 @cedev_226
 cercledeveil@yahoo.fr
 Resources on tobacco control in Burkina Faso
 Letter to the Higher Communication Council (February 27, 2015)
 Letter to the Ministry of Territorial Administration (February 27, 2015)
 Letter to HE Ambassador of Germany (March 1, 2015)
 Photographs of the headquarters of Mabucig
 Releases or articles posted online
 http://bit.ly/KeindeutscherPassfürTabak1
 http://bit.ly/mabucig_a_perdu
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Référence : Asso-01 fr Ouagadougou March 8, 2015

5. 
Sonja von Eichborn
Leiterin
UNFAIRTOBACCO
c/o BLUE 21
Berlin
Purpose : First victory against Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco in Burkina Faso!
P.J. : Photographs of the headquarters of Mabucig
Copie : Consumers League of Burkina Faso,
Journalists Network for Tobacco Control in Burkina Faso (REJAT-BF)
Observatory tobacco in francophone Africa, African NGOs against tobacco
Tags : tobacco # smoking # tobacco control # Mabucig # Imperial Tobacco # illegal adver-
tising # German passport # burkina faso # cigarette # blue 21 # unfairtobacco # cedev
Dear colleagues,
Thanks to you, the first victory against Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco in Bur-
kina Faso.
The campaign orchestrated by our association, Le Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev), was success-
ful. Mabucig, Burkina Faso subsidiary of the British group Imperial Tobaccco, back-
tracked and stopped short the advertising campaign in which it used the image and
reputation of the German passport to enhance its tobacco products. All posters ador-
ning its head office and shop selling in Ouagadougou were removed (➜ see photo).
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6. Another positive point is that the mobilization was both significant and multiple, and
foreign associations have supported our action. However, the authorities of our coun-
try have kept a complete silence, and the most surprising is the indifference of the
German Embassy in Burkina Faso to the enticement of the German passport.
The fight is far from over, because the goal is to actually implement the anti-smoking
law passed here 5 years ago, by removing the advertising and promotion of tobacco and
cigarettes in Burkina Faso which, like all African countries, is a paradise for the global
tobacco industry. The task is huge because the fight against smoking is a ungrateful
cause, groundwater and lengthy; which does not attract the crowds. There are so many
other health topics of the utmost urgency that the fight against the tobacco industry
seems secondary in our country.
For once here, David was able to shake Goliath. This is already a (small) giant step...
Thank you to you all for your support so valuable, if only for our morale!
Sincerely,
Évariste Konsimbo,
President of Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev)
 Contact
 Évariste Konsimbo, President of Cercle d'Éveil (#cedev)
 +226 78 81 93 98
 @cedev_226
 cercledeveil@yahoo.fr
 Resources on tobacco control in Burkina Faso
 Letter to the Higher Communication Council (February 27, 2015)
 Letter to the Ministry of Territorial Administration (February 27, 2015)
 Letter to HE Ambassador of Germany (March 1, 2015)
 Photographs of the headquarters of Mabucig
 Releases or articles posted online
 http://bit.ly/KeindeutscherPassfürTabak1
 http://bit.ly/mabucig_a_perdu
 Correspondance officielleCorrespondance officielleCorrespondance officielle
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Référence : Asso-02 eng Ouagadougou March 17, 2015