You can buy ‘akalumba’ in Luapula
(This article was written in 2019) JACK ZIMBA, Mwansabombwe IT WAS only a casual inquiry by the banks of Ng’ona River in Mwansabombwe district, Luapula Province. I asked one lad - about 16 years old - where I could buy akalumba. Akalumba (lightning) is witchcraft used to kill people, popular in Luapula. Many people here believe in black magic or witchcraft. The previous day, I had walked into the newly-opened Mwansabombwe museum, which displayed, among other items, witchcraft objects. One of them was labelled akalumba, which the curator explained as something witches use to kill. And so my inquiry was not really out of the ordinary, but then, I did not expect to get the answer I got from the youth. Although his initial reaction was to laugh off the inquiry, the youth later became serious about the matter. “I know a man who lives at that house who can sell you what you are asking about,” he said, pointing to a house nearby. “Oh, wait,” he said suddenly. “That...