Opium Medicine: Traditional Knowledge, Imperial Terror and a Lifeline for Resistance
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
with Shabina Lafleur-Gangji
Opium poppies have been at the centre of imperialist and racist drug wars for centuries. Being refined and forced against people across the globe, this plant has largely been stripped of its traditional knowledge and used as a tool of oppression and control. Yet, beyond this exploitation, this plant has been used as a traditional medicine for generations. Further, its medicine is woven into stories of resistance and solidarity across the globe. This knowledge share will explore traditional knowledge around opium poppies rooted in South Asian, North African and West Asian traditions, history of imperialist drug wars, and the use of the plant as a tool of resistance against imperialism, the war on drugs and slavery.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
with Shabina Lafleur-Gangji
Opium poppies have been at the centre of imperialist and racist drug wars for centuries. Being refined and forced against people across the globe, this plant has largely been stripped of its traditional knowledge and used as a tool of oppression and control. Yet, beyond this exploitation, this plant has been used as a traditional medicine for generations. Further, its medicine is woven into stories of resistance and solidarity across the globe. This knowledge share will explore traditional knowledge around opium poppies rooted in South Asian, North African and West Asian traditions, history of imperialist drug wars, and the use of the plant as a tool of resistance against imperialism, the war on drugs and slavery.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
with Shabina Lafleur-Gangji
Opium poppies have been at the centre of imperialist and racist drug wars for centuries. Being refined and forced against people across the globe, this plant has largely been stripped of its traditional knowledge and used as a tool of oppression and control. Yet, beyond this exploitation, this plant has been used as a traditional medicine for generations. Further, its medicine is woven into stories of resistance and solidarity across the globe. This knowledge share will explore traditional knowledge around opium poppies rooted in South Asian, North African and West Asian traditions, history of imperialist drug wars, and the use of the plant as a tool of resistance against imperialism, the war on drugs and slavery.