A 13-year-old’s tattoo promises of mystical powers have led to school expulsions, community division, and haunting consequences for boys caught between youthful curiosity and societal judgment!
Lusaka, Oct. 26 – Several boys in Lusaka’s Shalom area, who were tattooed (inembo in Bemba) by a 13-year-old boy to gain alleged supernatural powers and attract girls, have been expelled from school. School authorities claimed that other pupils do not want to interact with them due to beliefs around “inembo”.
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In a WhatsApp correspondence with The Digest, a parent to one affected child stated that her son has been left traumatized by the incident. Other parents have said their children are experiencing sleepless nights since being tattooed.
Recently, police arrested a 13-year-old boy for tattooing more than ten boys in the area, claiming that the admitted charms would enlarge their private parts, attract girls, and help them defend themselves during fights with the ferociousness of snakes.
The school decision has divided the local community with some parents stating that it’s an infringement on the rights of their children to education, “I don’t think it’s right to expel the kids. Suspension would have been a good option while they waited for the outcome of the investigations!”
Others feel the children were practising witchcraft which is illegal in Zambia stating that one can lose track of morals when the so called human rights are prioritized, “Discipline and manner maketh an etiquette society of people!”
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