Chiiz Volume 7 :Fashion Photography

Dwindling Lives
NIKON D610 50mm F/8 1/250s ISO200
Nicotine Soaked Lives : A Glance into
The Tobacco Farming Industry in Turkey
Meriç Aktar
@mericaktar is a 32 years old hobbyist
photographer who lives in Samandag,
Hatay, Turkey. He began chasing light
and capturing moments in 2012, since
then, picking up the camera gave him
an opportunity to capture a specific
vision to share with others. Ultimately,
a well captured image represents a
moment in time that is expressed
infinitely, and that’s enough of a reason
for him to hang the camera around his
shoulders every time he steps out of
his home. As such, with a greater
appreciation of the documenting
people via photography, he has also
developed a greater connection with
people and life.
For most of us the word “Tobacco” triggers
one of these two probable reactions, a) A
strong abhorrence (generally associated with
the detrimental effect it has on our health).
Or b) An even stronger urge, fuelled by years
of addiction and/or decades worth of popular
culture, to light the nearest cigarette. If it’s not
one of these two things, it’s probably some
botanical inquiry into the structure of the
plant itself.
Yes, Tobacco is all of those things and more.
But for about a few hundred families living
in Yayladagi, in the Hatay province of Turkey,
tobacco isn’t death or grave addictions; it is
life. Tobacco, for them, is neither some means
to placate an oral fixation, nor is it the tiny font
and the skull and crossbones that warn against
its consumption. These tobacco farmers are
in no way associated with the ongoing power
struggles between “Big Tobacco” and the
organizations against it, when quite ironically,
they are intrinsic to the production of the very
“thing” governments, business conglomerates,
and activists tussle over. Tobacco for them is
what puts bread on the table; what sends their
kids to school ; and what puts them on the
map.
For the uninitiated, which is quite frankly
most of us, here is a brief history of Turkish
tobacco. Tobacco, of course, originated in the
Americas. It was introduced to the Ottoman
Empire (modern day Turkey, Republic of
Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece) by Spanish
traders. The Ottoman Turks devised their own
way of cultivating, harvesting, curing, and
later, using the tobacco - and thus a distinctly
“Turkish” variety came into being. Turkish
tobacco dominated the global markets for
most of the 20th century. It peaked during
the 1960s when the Turkish kind was the
most sought-after variety. Turkish tobacco
is highly aromatic and being specifically
“sun-cured” adds to the flavour. Ideally, this
type of tobacco is used exclusively for pipes
and cigarette manufacturing. In fact, most
of the early brands of cigarettes only made
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