Tales of schools and paraffin soaked food

The use of kerosene in boarding schools has been a common practice in certain African countries for many years, with the belief of it reducing libido at puberty stage.

Success talks to various people including students, parents and teachers to establish if the practice is still widespread in Tanzanian boarding schools. Health experts also share their views about the dangers of using kerosene in food.

Information available at www.sciencedirect.com states that there is no scientific proof to the use of kerosene in reducing the sex drive at the puberty stage.

In layman terms, kerosene is a chemical used mainly in paints, pesticides, lighter fluid, illuminating fuel and heating.

About 25 years ago, Marina Lucas 43, and her fellow students at a girls’ boarding school used to eat food that tasted of kerosene two times a week.

Marina’s school had no electricity so she thought the workers might have accidentally spilt kerosene on the utensils. However, she realised the food tasted of kerosene every week.

“I was just wondering why almost every week food used to taste of kerosene! My fellow students and I paid attention to the food and we realised it was not a mistake since it was common on the days that we used to eat our special meal of pilau with meat,” says Marina.

According to her, they feared to ask other students from upper classes, as they were not friendly to the new comers at the school. And since majority of the students were excited about pilau they would struggle to get more helpings.

As the days went by, kerosene became an important ingredient in pilau. And none of the students would miss pilau which was only served once a month, says Marina who spent four years in a boarding school.

Adding to that she said, when she went back home at the end of her first term she shared the news with her parents who never paid attention to her and insisted that, it could be a mistake.

On sharing the news with some other students from different schools, she was told that they add kerosene to lower libido and help them concentrate on their studies.

Marina wonders whether there is a scientific proof to that, saying many of her peers would have sexual relations during school outings and other special occasions like farewell parties where boys would pay them a visit.

Paul Richard, 35, is a businessman based in Kariakoo in the city. He has been taking care of his younger brothers since his father died 10 years ago. As a first born, he is responsible for their education since their mother is not earning enough.

Sharing his experience he claims to have consumed a lot of kerosene during his O and A levels at two different boarding schools. He says he is not worried about health implications involved since he grew up consuming the same in his food and did not experience any danger during his six years in boarding school. He believes it completely takes away the desire to have sex.

“In my opinion I think the practice helps young boys and girls to have a lower libido. My desire to have sexual relationship was very limited during school days compared to few months after I completed my A level education,” says Paul.

He claims that kerosene indeed works since majority of students especially day scholars were sexually active compared to the boys who were in boarding schools.

He further said that, the same applies to schools where his younger brothers are studying. Fredy Richard, 17, a Form IV student and Augustino Richard, 15, a Form II student, while speaking on phone from their schools confessed that they eat food with kerosene.

Freddy said he is in his last year at school and he has gotten used to the taste of kerosene. So many times they have raised their concern with the school management on the matter but none of the teachers seems keen to follow it up.

“Kerosene is part and parcel of our daily life. And looks like parents are also aware of it, as they don’t take the trouble to call our teachers to ask why we are treated that way. Before I joined here, I used to hear a lot about boarding students eating food which has kerosene and now I have experienced it so many times,” says Freddy.

Freddy says he is worried about future health implications of people who consume kerosene in food since no one has ever taken school management to task about the issue.

Lillian Mwamtange, 45, a mother and a teacher at a boarding school said the directives to add kerosene in food usually come from the school management who also claim it lowers libido among students.

Lillian says during her O level education, she experienced same situation, however, two years later she was moved to a day school due to asthma. She was happy that she finally escaped food with kerosene. “At the school, pupils believed that, kerosene helps them not to get pregnant, however, there were few cases of the same. Majority of the girls never involved themselves in sexual relations as the school was very strict and there was a lot of sex education,” says Lillian.

She took her A level education at Loleza Girls School. A boarding school, which she says did not put kerosene in food.

“In my opinion I just think kerosene works better when one wants to lower libido but the question is what are the health dangers involved when these young people consume kerosene in food?” she wondered.

She further said that, students in previous schools she was stationed at would really complain about the kerosene in food but since they had no option they ended up eating it altogether.

Julius Twoli, a medical doctor at a government hospital in Bagamoyo who also doubles as a doctor in a boarding school said there is no medical proof that kerosene helps lower libido. He, however, points out that schools where he had worked registered positive results when kerosene was added in the food.

“There is no medical report in Tanzania and I am not officially informed of any globally,” says Twoli.

He added that consuming too much food with kerosene can result into breathing difficulties ,throat swelling, painful eyes, ears and nose, it can also cause low blood pressure.

Information available online indicates that kerosene contains a poisonous ingredient, which is harmful when ingested. Ingestion and other exposures to the chemical can cause various symptoms. The type and severity of symptoms vary depending on the amount of chemical involved and the nature of the exposure.

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