When it comes to African countries, some traditional practices can literally leave your jaw on the floor. For instance, I recently learnt that some people believe in smearing a newborn with its father’s semen after having sex for the first time post-birth. What? I’m still trying to make it make sense. But that’s not it, for generations, some Zambians have clung to traditional practices passed down from our ancestors like sexual cleansing and chibelebele/chikula — where children as young as four are introduced to sexual activities and marriage. In some areas, testing virginity after initiation is still a rite of passage, with boys proving their purity and girls, their sexual prowess. But while these customs have stood the test of...

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