By Ishbel Matheson in Lusaka
At the Lusaka sewage ponds, two teenage boys plunge their hands into the
dark brown sludge, gathering up fistfuls and stuffing it into small
plastic
bottles. They tap the bottles on the ground, taking care to leave enough
room for methane to form at the top. A sour smell rises in the hot sun,
but
the boys seem oblivious to the stench and the foul nature of their task.
They are manufacturing "Jenkem", a disgusting, noxious mixture made from
fermented sewage. It is cheap, potent and very popular among the thousands
of street-children in Lusaka. When they cannot afford glue or are too
scared
to steal petrol, these youngsters turn to Jenkem as a way of getting high.
"It lasts about an hour", says one user, 16-year-old Luke Mpande, who
prefers Jenkem to other substances.
And yes it's a negro thing.
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