L'ARRIVÉE DU QAT À TADJOURAH
The qat arrive in Tadjourah twice a day, at around 10 a.m. and at midday, when they are handed over directly to the sellers.
The scene usually takes place twice a day, in the morning around 10am and at noon, in the vicinity of the pier. The somewhat sleepy waterfront then gradually wakes up. Collected in Harar (Ethiopia), arrived in convoy by road in Djibouti, the qat is immediately transported by truck to the port of the capital, then loaded on the powerful "shuttle of the qat". The crossing of the Gulf is done quickly. Today, the qat also arrives by road, directly from Ali Sabieh. When the boat docks at the pier, the rush that follows shows the importance of this daily event and the impatience of the consumers. The disembarked qat is directly entrusted to known sellers (or more often female sellers). An individual cannot buy directly. But one is at least informed of the day's price. The sellers then go to their little stall, the buyers carefully choose the most tender leaves, pay and then leave with their little bag (or several). They then sit down in the shade, among friends, and begin the daily ritual of slowly chewing the qat, accompanied by tea or Coke. Some consume up to four or five bags a day. And there are 365 days in a year. A real addiction. Some of the cargo is loaded onto pick-up trucks, which speed off to supply other localities in the region as quickly as possible.