Persecution of people with albinism
Persecution of people with ablinism (sometimes abbreviated PWA) is based on the belief
that certain body parts of albinistic people can
transmit magical powers. Such superstition is present especially in some
parts of the African Great Lakes region,
it has been promulgated and exploited by witch doctors and others who use such body
parts as ingredients in rituals, concoctions and potions with the claim that their magic will bring prosperity to the user (muti or medicine murder).
As a result, people with albinism
have been persecuted, killed and dismembered, and graves of albinos dug up and
desecrated. At the same time, people with albinism have also been ostracised
and even killed for exactly the opposite reason, because they are presumed to
be cursed and bring bad luck. The persecutions of people with albinism take
place mostly in Sub-Saharan African communities,
especially among East Africans.
Albinism is a genetically inherited
condition which is very rare and, worldwide, affects approximately one in
twenty thousand people. Although rare in the western world, albinism is
quite common in sub-Saharan Africa, likely as a result of consanguinity. Both
parents, who may or may not be albinos themselves, must carry the gene if it is
to be passed on to the child. Albinism occurs in both males and females and is
not specific to any race or ethnic group. Statistics show that fifty percent of
albinistic people in Tanzania have a known
albinistic relative, although
very few understand or are educated about the medical and genetic causes of
this condition. Many believe it is a punishment from God or bad luck, and that
their "disease" could be contagious, which is often the view of even
members of the medical and professional community. These misconceptions,
coupled with the lack of education, are some of the key reasons that albinism
is so heavily persecuted. This lack of knowledge about people with albinism
means that folktales and superstition in the name of witchcraft take the place
of medical and scientific facts in the minds of many native Africans, with and
without albinism, which in turn has major effects on the social integration of
albinistic people into African society. Ninety-eight percent of albinos die by
the age of forty for reasons which could easily be prevented.
With a population of around 50 million people, that makes albinism a major public health issue in Tanzania. In Europe and North America, by comparison, albinism is estimated to only affect between one in 17,000 and one in 20,000 of the population.
Ending albino persecution in Africa
Governments,
UN and human rights groups step up advocacy to enlighten communities
When Moses Swaray stepped onstage to sing “Amazing
Grace” in the auditorium of the Unity Conference Centre in Monrovia, Liberia,
the audience, including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, stood up to applaud;
some wiped away tears.
Mr. Swaray, who is living with albinism,
beat 11 other finalists to win the 2007 edition of A Star is Born, the national
talent hunt organised by the United Nations and the Liberian government.
President Sirleaf warmly embraced Mr.
Swaray on stage, calling him “a blessing to our country.”
Mr. Swaray might have been killed as a
child had his father heeded the warnings of a close friend to get rid of the
infant because albinos have supernatural powers and bring misfortunes to a
family.
People living with albinism suffer from
abnormal skin pigmentation resulting from a hereditary inability to produce
melanin in their skin cells, according to the US National Library of Medicine.
Melanin is a dark pigment that is responsible for producing skin, hair and eye
colouration. Albinos suffer from vision problems and are susceptible to skin
cancer.
While growing up, “some people treated me
as less of a human being because they believed I had supernatural powers,” Mr.
Swaray told Africa Renewal in an interview. Having relocated to the US some years
ago, he is now a highly sought-after gospel artist within the African diaspora
community.
Not all albinos in Africa have the same
luck and talent as Mr. Swaray. Malawian authorities announced that between
January and May 2016 alone, six albinos were murdered, including 17-year-old
Davis Fletcher Machinjiri, who had gone to watch soccer.
The human rights organization Amnesty
International quoted the Malawian police’s description of the gruesome murder
of Mr. Machinjiri: “About four men trafficked him to Mozambique and killed him.
The men chopped off both his arms and legs and removed his bones. Then they
buried the rest of his body in a shallow grave.”
There are superstitions in some parts of
Africa that albino body parts bring wealth, power or sexual conquest, and that
having sex with a person living with albinism cures HIV and AIDS. Attackers
sell albino body parts to witch doctors for thousands of dollars, according to
Amnesty International.
In Tanzania, some 75 albinos were reported
killed between 2000 and 2016.
There have also been reports of albino
killings in South Africa, although such crimes are less common there than in
Malawi, Tanzania and Burundi. Last February, a South African court sentenced a
traditional healer to life in prison for murdering a 20-year-old woman living
with albinism.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN agency that deals with human rights issues,
reported in 2016 that albino hunters sell an entire human corpse for up to
$75,000, while an arm or a leg could fetch about $2,000.
Alarmed by rising incidences of albino
killings, the UN Human Rights Council (which works closely with OHCHR) in June
2015 bestowed on Ikponwosa Ero, herself living with albinism, the title of
“Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with
albinism.”
In an interview with Africa Renewal, Ms.
Ero termed the albino situation in Africa “a tragedy.” She referred to the
7,000 to 10,000 albinos in Malawi and thousands of others in Tanzania,
Mozambique and other countries as “an endangered people” facing a “risk of
extinction if nothing is done.” Tanzanians call albinos zeru zeru, meaning
“ghosts.”
Lacking pigmentation, albinos are particularly
vulnerable to what advocacy groups call a “silent killer”—skin cancer. Sixmond
Mdeka, a Tanzanian reggae star, has been battling skin cancer since birth. Mr.
Mdeka told the BBC, “I used to go all around without protective clothing. I was
burned by the sun everywhere.…Sun is our number one enemy.”
Without the right treatment, up to 90% of
albinos die before the age of 40 in Africa, medical experts say. Mr. Mdeka, who
is almost 40 years old, is already experiencing health complications. Doctors
operated on his left ear last September to remove a facial skin cancer called
melanoma.
There are very few health services in
Africa to manage albinism, and many of those living with the condition cannot
afford badly needed sunscreen and protective clothing. For example, a bottle of
sunscreen that lasts for two weeks sells for about $15 in Tanzania, a country
where most people live on less than $1.50 a day.
Exclusion
Threats to albinos’ lives are compounded by
“exclusion, stigmatization and denial of basic rights such as the right to
education and health,” according to Amnesty International. Ms. Ero recounts her
childhood experience: “Isolation and stigma came from peers and adults,
including name-calling and mockery, and exclusion from certain community
activities.”
She didn’t receive support for her impaired
vision, and was sometimes flogged when she tried to explain her difficulties in
a classroom.
“I went through high school without glasses
and struggled very hard to see the writing on the blackboard,” recalls Mr.
Swaray.
“Even mothers of children living with
albinism are often abandoned after being accused of infidelity or…deemed
accursed or abnormal. Whole families can be excluded or ostracised for having a
member with albinism,” says Ms. Ero, who is now advocating for “massive and
sustained public education.”
Raising awareness to debunk albinism myths
may change some people’s attitudes, but Ms. Ero lists other practical steps
countries can take, including dedicating “an office and budget to the issue,
creating a telephone hotline to report crimes and threats, regulating
‘witchcraft’ and traditional medicine practitioners, among others.”
“It’s time African governments paid
attention to how albinos are treated. It’s time we all spoke out. We need
actions,” insists Mr. Swaray.
Governments and other organisations are
already taking actions. Under the Same Sun (UTSS), a non-governmental
organization with offices in Tanzania and Canada, is distributing educational
materials in Tanzanian schools that dispel the myths surrounding albinism.
To raise awareness of albinos’ plight, the
UN named 13 June each year as International Albinism Awareness Day. Every
September is Albinism Awareness Month in South Africa. Earlier this year South
African model and inventor Mala Bryan introduced a doll with albinism. Named
Alexa, the doll is intended to help change misconceptions around
albinism.
Some countries are stepping up efforts to
prevent attacks on people with albinism. Mostly due to Tanzanian police
interventions, albino murders dropped from 22 in 2008 to 11 in 2015. Ms. Ero
commended the Tanzanian government and civil society for providing visual aids
and other assistance to albinos.
“There have been positive measures [by the
Tanzanian government] to address witchcraft practices, including the
registration of traditional healers, [but] full oversight over their work has
still not been achieved, and confusion still exists in the minds of the general
public between witchcraft practice and the work of traditional healers,” Ms.
Ero added.
Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika and
other top government officials have condemned attacks on albinos. In 2015 the
government announced a National Response Plan and appointed a special legal
counsel to assist with investigations.
While she commends the Malawian
government’s response plan, Ms. Ero pointed out that “the absence of resources
attached to the plan has drastically delayed its implementation.” And Amnesty
International notes that while some perpetrators have been convicted, most of
the country’s crimes against albinos are still unsolved.
Albino rights groups are hopeful and eager
for people to understand albinism and accept those with the condition. Albinos
are just like everyone else, says Mr. Swaray. “When I look in the mirror, I see
a man on his way to greatness; I do not see an albino,” he quipped.
.
An article by BY: PAVITHRA RAO
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