By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Ministry of Education has sent a memo to school administrators around the country, urging them to prevent students from playing the "Charlie Charlie" game that some believe involves the summoning of supernatural spirits.
Some people treat the game - which has surged in popularity worldwide this week - as a serious concern while many others react to it incredulously.
The game's origin is disputed, but it is often depicted as a form of 'Mexican demon worship' resembling an Ouija board.
To play it, people position two pencils in the shape of a cross on a paper with the words "yes" and "no" written on it. Participants then repeat the phrase "Charlie, Charlie can we play?" in order to connect with an alleged demon.
Some believe that if a supernatural spirit is present, the pencils will move to indicate an answer to the question posed.
Around the Caribbean, there are reports of children allegedly being rushed to hospitals because of the game.
"We sent notes that administrators be aware and ensure that those are not practiced in our schools," Education Director Lionel Sands said on Friday.Despite widespread reports that the game is being played in Bahamian schools, Mr Sands said he could not confirm their veracity.
Asked to respond to those who think the game is harmless and therefore does not require intervention from officials, he said: "It should be regarded as serious. When dealing with supernatural things, I can't explain it, but I don't want our kinds to be exposed to anything supernatural that causes problems. It's difficult to explain but we don't know the extent to which this could impact our children so I wouldn't sanction it."
Asked how officials could stop students from playing a game whose impact is disputed, he said: "You can't stop them from playing it outside school but we can stop them from playing it in the school because they are under the supervision of teachers always and the only time they have for themselves is lunch, during which they still should not be engaging in those kinds of games."
There have been unconfirmed reports about the game causing disturbances around several local schools, including Sandilands Primary School and Anatol Rodgers High School.
The Tribune can confirm that Anatol Rodgers High School sent a letter to pastors and ministers, inviting them to come and pray on the school's campus and in classrooms where "students have been performing such acts."
Southwest District Superintendent Julian Anderson said that no particular incident, to his understanding, prompted the school's officials to take such action, saying he believes they merely view it as an important preventative measure.
Regarding this, Mr Sands said he would sanction inviting parents and pastors to gather at schools in order to pray about the matter.
Meanwhile, numerous voice notes have been spreading on social media featuring children describing disturbing expierences that allegedly took place after they had played the game.
One about the issue involved a woman purporting to be a teacher at Sandilands Primary School. She spoke about students being "under attack," adding that the alleged incident prompted the school to invite pastors to the campus to pray.
When asked about this, a senior administrator of the school declined to comment, referring The Tribune instead to the Ministry of Education where officials also could not confirm or deny such reports.
An official in the North Eastern District office merely said she has heard that the game is being played in schools, but could not speak to whether unusual incidents have taken place.
Although most reports indicate that the game originated in Mexico, a BBC news report quotes experts who say the game has nothing to do with Mexican folklore.
Comments
DillyTree 9 years, 6 months ago
Seriously!?!?! We have a backward education system where D averages are something to be proud of, gangs in schools, sexual experimentation, STDs, teen pregnancies and we're worried about a game with paper and pencils? Let's get our damn priorities straight, people!
By the way, if it was a Mexican demon game, don't you think it'd be "Carlos, Carlos" ????
afficianado 9 years, 6 months ago
lmao hahahaha
SP 9 years, 6 months ago
......................................You Just Don't Get It! ........................................
"Charlie" is just his homosexual name because it can be masculine or feminine.
He knows nobody will take him as seriously gay running around using his real name "José Luis"!
rollmaeyes 9 years, 6 months ago
I can't believe they issued that statement...
WOW
"If you’d like to debunk the game for yourself, try doing the same thing without the paper and without the incantation. Pencils placed on top of and across each other always move around, whether or not a demon is summoned to push them. ITS GRAVITY!!!
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
I think its our highly intelligent Director exerting his unsurpassed powers of organization.
ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago
and last night, on zns news, they demonstrated how to play the game. lol
they must be haunted by the ghosts of exams past.
Alltoomuch 9 years, 6 months ago
This truly is unbelievable!!
FNM_Retards 9 years, 6 months ago
They got some real dummies teaching in schools these days - It's called GRAVITY you fools. Boy they got brains the size of freaking peanuts. Supernatural? Can't believe they actually said that. WAAAAHHH HA HA HA HA.
FNM_Retards 9 years, 6 months ago
Change their name to MINISTRY OF MISINFORMATION.
Or better yet, IDIOTS.
No wonder the kids are dumb as rocks.
Tommy77 9 years, 6 months ago
So crazy.
http://s04.flagcounter.com/mini/kfoW/bg…" style="display:none">
http://s05.flagcounter.com/mini/WUu/bg_…" style="display:none">
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
In reality the education in this country is pure political bullshit. Family islands ignored, Technical education-what a joke, no money for maintenance but plenty for non entities to travel around giving speeches and awards.
John 9 years, 6 months ago
If you believe the bible then you must also believe that demons are real. The issue is not weather or not the pencils moved or even what caused them to move but the fact that young people are involved in some form of demonic worship or activity. I have been advised a long time ago not to even play horror movies in my home as they draw demons who can possess someone present in the house. There have been reports of young persons going to watch horror movies and never being the same person after. Even the video games,especially the ones where young people spend hours upon hours killing police and innocent civilians are not safe. Something known as "channelling ". Occurs where the player of the game becomes "possessed' and will attempt to live out what he was doing in the game. This may not happen until years later. Some say that the Charlie is just a silly game. I know one thing if we were caught playing something like that when I was a kid you wouldn't know where "Charlie" came from with a belt and tore our backsides back into civility. Cards, dice and domonioes were also considered tools of the devil and were not welcome in our home.
Bahamas2016 9 years, 6 months ago
Now I don't know who you are, but that is a bold statement you made here. I am guessing you living lavish in your palace on the mountain top. Remember, there ain't no support underneath it and when your day comes, your day will come. Keep your racist comments to yourself
ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago
I can vouch that these demons, in the form for spectrum, attend political rallies and the carnival.
that is how 21,000 tickets were sold but 90,000 were in attendance.
CuriousAbaconian 9 years, 6 months ago
John, I truly believe you mean well and are a concerned citizen. However, I fear that you've gone round the bend....
concernedcitizen 9 years, 6 months ago
@john ,,yeah lets beat the crap out of them so they can learn violence as a form of conflict resolution and grow up to be killers ,,oh wait we have already done that ,,There are too many long term studies that show discipline w/ violence just makes violent adults ,,too many to even debate it
John 9 years, 6 months ago
Evil forces know the power of their works. Just a few years ago there was a wholesale attack on the clothing and jewelery market. Almost ever piece of clothing had demonic skulls or up side down crosses or angels wings attached to dragons or misquoted scripture on them. Sometimes you would walk into a store and see a blouse with a pretty rose on in but when you looked closely, the rose was actually a skull disguised as a flower. Some shoes would be plain and simple on the outside but when you looked inside the shoe it would be lined with skulls or some demonic quote. Even belts and jewelery and sunglasses had skulls embedded in their design. Why would manufacturers of these items go to such extremes to get you, the consumer to celebrate death? Our count stands around 64 with less than half a year gone.
CuriousAbaconian 9 years, 6 months ago
The tether is cut man. You're out there (deep space)
themessenger 9 years, 6 months ago
20+ pastors exorcising "demons" at a high school?? They should have done that exorcise, um exercise, at the House of Assembly.
realfreethinker 9 years, 6 months ago
Now that would be a great place to start.
pablojay 9 years, 6 months ago
I have asked my 7 year old grandson about this game and he told me that it is played regularly in his primary school and that he knows of a friend who was taken to a hospital because of this game, because he was "freaking out", for what its worth. Anything that affects or impacts our primary school children negatively, should be of great concern to this nation,for they are the future leaders of our country and considering the leaders that we have now,GOD HELP US ALL------ AND THEM.
Bahamas2016 9 years, 6 months ago
You folks on here criticizing the Ministry of Education for taking a stances on this issue when you should commend them. There is a viral video of students at C.C. Sweeting senior high playing this "game" and they received a response. In the background you can hear the girls screaming and freaking out. Now you folks want to say or blame the MOE for your kids having STD's, low grade point averages, D average national grade, teenage pregnancies. So I am guessing that none of these kids have parents. Some of you parents are lousy and have the nut sacks to blame someone else for your failures as parents. The Governments of the Bahamas provide free education on all these matters and rather than you as a parent/s involve your kids into these programs you want your kids working after school because you ain't working and can't pay the bills.
SP 9 years, 6 months ago
............................... Confusing Array Of Mixed Messages To Children ..............................
Despite biblical admonishing's against homosexuality, T.V. shows and movies glamorize gay and lesbianism as normal and bahamas government is hell bent on passing a homosexual equality law.
Now when a sissy demon shows up to claim your children as his prize they tell the kids not to play with him?
Bahamas2016 9 years, 6 months ago
If you read what you wrote you will see how ignorant you sound. If homosexuality has been around since the "biblical" days, what makes you think it is going to change? Murder has been around since "biblical" days and its still here, war has been around since "biblical" days and it still going on. Parents are responsible for their children, not the state. Train a child in the way he should go and he shall never depart. Are all of your kids "straight"? You don't know who gay or lesbian until they say they are
FNM_Retards 9 years, 6 months ago
Ignorant religious nutcase calling other people ignorant. Freaking hilarious.
SP 9 years, 6 months ago
@ Bahamas2016.................Got A Hair Stuck Up Your Ass? ................
Didn't intend on mashing your corn. If your kids are gay or lesbians it's just peachy with me.
Ask them for the rest of us why they feel it of utmost importance they come out of the closet to declare their perversion.
Nobody cares if your kids are gay and lesbian.
Why can't they just sex whom they please and keep it to themselves like "normal" people?
Don't catch feelings McClown...But don't say hi to Charlie for me!
newcitizen 9 years, 6 months ago
The ignorance and bigotry that you and others profess here is so sad. For someone who holds the Bible in such high regard, perhaps you should read the sections on acceptance, on loving thy neighbor, on not judging lest ye be judged, on not casting the first stone, on forgiveness.
SP 9 years, 6 months ago
........................... Which 20+ Pastors Showed Up For This Exorcism ? ........................
Not the christian counsel crew of nut-job clown failures that prayed to their FALSE GOD to rain out carnival though?
Those guys proved once and for all that their GOD is 110% fake! No wonder they render all political leaders failures in this country!
The ONLY TRUE GOD JEHOVAH made them look like the fools they are by providing miraculously great weather with fine tuned precision between IAAF games and carnival.
It was impossible for anyone not to have seen his wondrous and powerful hand at work!
The christian council group of clowns couldn't pray for day to follow night!
Emac 9 years, 6 months ago
Yep, here goes something for John to get exited over. I am surprised we don't see more Bahamian religious nuts spurting out biblical scriptures all over this forum. The only fcking demons floating around in the Bahamas belong to that yellow and red team. Oh and you have a lot of demons in that so called Christian Council. I always say Bahamians are the biggest hypocrites in the entire universe. Everything in the world is a negative force EXCEPT for 3,4 and 5 balls. The physics teachers must be having a ball on this one. The majority of Bahamians are a bunch of ignoramuses!
FNM_Retards 9 years, 6 months ago
John is like one of those dummies over on facebook, stupid as can be, they believe anything without questioning it. That's what happens when you give dummies a religion to believe in.
pat242 9 years, 6 months ago
Church gonna be full on Sunday. But seriously I have never seen so much attention being raised towards violence, rape, education, independence etc but a stupid game these religious snakes going crazy. People are getting kill every day, the U.S. put travel warning on the Bahamas, children growing up not knowing wheir parents are, people living on the dump where are the major attention to educate people on those issues and how to solve it. Am more afraid of Someone putting a gun in my face that some charlie demon. And guess what the pastors gonna tax the blood out of Bahamians on Sunday.
FNM_Retards 9 years, 6 months ago
The Pastors probably right there asking for the Packing Boy salaries for offering. "Don't be spending your money on Burger King, Spend it on our Church".
TalRussell 9 years, 6 months ago
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2015…
digimagination 9 years, 6 months ago
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
I'm confused how an article on this new game leads on to sexual preferences, religious insults etc etc. What I do know as a long serving teacher is that we have incompetent policy makers in education. Have you noticed how any donations such as computers etc from betting shops and BTC mostly go to Nassau schools, how family island teachers are encouraged to attend workshops in Nassau at their expense whilst Ministry officials travel to family islands with hire cars , hotel accommodation and food paid for. Has anybody questioned the influx of Cuban teachers who in many cases struggle to be understood by the students because of their lack of English speaking skills and by the time they understand the students and system are leaving. Supplies are a thing of the very distant past, so where is the money going. Technical education (so important we are told) has a budget but as a fact one technical dept on a family island has received NO supplies for over 10 years. Why are there so many subjects being taught at Primary school level ,including Spanish when they come to the High school and cannot add up or write a simple sentence in English. BGCSE exams were moderated in the UK starting in the early 90's at great cost and the idea was that once the Bahamas was proficient it would do its own thing. 20+ years later exams are still being sent to the UK for approval, correction etc at huge expense to the Government and still presented to students with graphic errors, Something is very wrong.
ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago
take a look at the photo of the letter sent to summon the exorcists, in the link below. The English language errors are horrendous.
http://bahamasuncensored.com/the-devil-…
avidreader 9 years, 6 months ago
Absolutely unbelievable that grown people would pay attention to such foolishness. This sounds like the "Bloody Mary" nonsense that was making the rounds in the schools some years ago and reminds me of the wickedness perpetrated by the children in "The Crucible" when they pretended to be possessed by so-called demons and caused the death of a few adults whom they had targeted. Read about the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century and get these children away from video games and electronic devices.
Bahamianpride 9 years, 6 months ago
So many religious wacko's yet so much crime. People pray every day for an end to the high crime but no end in sight. So If God ain't listening to Bahamians, Charlie fantasy demon could care less about spreading his evil. The ministries response to this issue let's me know we still have primitive thinking even among the educated.
White_Massa 9 years, 6 months ago
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THEY PLAY THE CHARLIE GAME
http://youtube.com/watch?t=44&v=wDH…
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 6 months ago
I cannot believe this is a learning institute. The teachers are dumber than the damned children!!!! This is scary as hell. How can our country grow if our children are being taught by superstitious and ignorant people?
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
Not all teachers believe in this nonsense so you have no right to categorize all teachers as dumb.
TalRussell 9 years, 6 months ago
I am most reliably informed, how Papa Hubert was still bringing his Ouija board to red shirts cabinet meetings, that how DPM Brent was scared dizzy when spirits were pointing in his direction.
Them Comrade spirits from my days playing that Ouija board were all too scary real for me but I'll bet numbers odds, if this PLP Cabinet does in cabinet session be using them pencils to contact the spirits of Pindling, Milo B and Clearance Bain, they'd see from da looks on their now supernatural beings faces, how disappointed them three are in this PLP administration. A befitting children's game for grown ass man's and woman's who act likes little children's whilst in conduction of the people's business.
Amen!
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
I really think that there is a limit to the language and racial insults that should be tolerated on this forum. White masa and SP only show their ignorance when posting comments like those earlier.
banker 9 years, 6 months ago
I guess everyone didn't get the memo. Charlie Charlie is the latest hoax spread over the internet. There are several youtube movies showing how to do it.
You balance two pencils in a cross at their balance point. The person "invoking the Mexican spirit Charlie Charlie" blows on the pencil. Because it is balanced, the pencil moves with the slightest breath. The person can gently blow either way to answer questions, and the breath is not detected because everyone is watching the pencils.
It is a game, and not psychic or not the devil or not anything but a fun game, and it suckered everyone into it. It is a parlour trick and nothing more.
I can't believe all those people are so dumb to fall for it.
Watch the hoax here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHko8to…
gjgaudia 9 years, 6 months ago
Despite all the research that shows religion (and hence, ignorance) is on the decline, the Bahamas appears to be an outpost of stupidity. Too bad because I loved it when I was anchored in Marsh Harbour many years ago.
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