Letter from Abidjan

Caffeine, taurine, lots of sugar, and 18% to 22% vodka. While people in France have only recently discovered Vody – a budget version of the vodka Red Bull cocktail – popular among young people, especially those of Caribbean descent and the West African diaspora, the drink has long been a staple in Côte d'Ivoire. The government even banned its importation into Côte d'Ivoire in October 2023 after the so-called "Gaddafi" trend, in which young internet users filmed themselves swallowing Tramadol, a powerful painkiller, washing it down with large amounts of Vody. The combination led to incidents among some of Abidjan's most underserved youth. Despite news reports and articles, the drink's popularity has shown no signs of waning.

This has raised concerns for French Health Minister Yannick Neuder, who addressed the issue on May 21, speaking in the Assemblée Nationale after a question from Guadeloupe MP Olivier Serva. Calling Vody a "real scourge," Neuder condemned "extremely aggressive marketing targeting our youth, with impacts on their health, including cardiovascular and neurological effects," and said he was considering banning the product, or even pushing for European-level regulation.

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