Dispatches International
about a fisherman who was advised by a witch doctor to mutilate an al- bino. The fisherman was promised more fish if he performed a special ritual with body parts from the al- bino. After this case, there was a storm of other incidents of the same nature. Three men who murdered a 14-year-old albino boy were sen- tenced to death by hanging in late- 2009. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete stated that these incidents “stained the country’s good image.” Ernest. N. Kimaya, Chairman
of the Albino Association in Tanza- nia, says that albinos in Tanzania have been discriminated against throughout history. “They were de- prived of their rights because they were regarded as less than human beings.” He explains that for a long time, albino children were murdered at birth. “Far down our history, albi- nos were killed right away by mid- wives.”
As the years went by and the
20th century developed, albinos were slowly accepted as people, but were rarely fully integrated into so- ciety. “Recently, it has just been not ok to talk with albinos or to laugh with albinos,” says Kimaya, explain- ing that albino youth are often kept apart from normal young Tanzani- ans.
Things were relatively peace-
ful until a few years ago, when Tan- zania emerged as a macabre hub for the trade in albino body parts. The factors causing the growth in de- mand for these objects are not clear, but Kimaya has a few theories. “I think even the witch doctors
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know about the bad financial situa- tion the world is in,” says Kimaya. Although Dar es Salaam is far from being a global financial center, the recession has cut jobs to an extent in Tanzania, and many citizens are desperate for a lucky break. “The murders happen because people are made to believe that if they get al- bino body parts and conduct some rituals, all their financial problems will be over.” Kimaya notes the progression
of factors prompting the murder and mutilation of albinos in Tanza- nia: “First, it was because we bring bad luck. Then, it was because we can bring good luck.” But now, it is because their bodies are worth hun- dreds of dollars to witch doctors peddling potions to the rural mass- es. “There is always some reason to kill an albino. It’s unfortunate that Tanzanians believe this nonsense.” “People say albinos bring bad
luck, so if we are killed then that will bring the good luck,” explains Kimaya. But years of effort from the Albino Association in Tanzania and other organizations to educate Tanzanians about the causes of albi- nism have been somewhat fruitful. When Kimaya and his colleagues tell people that albinism is nothing more than an expression of a particular gene – and not signal of evil from the heavens – they are more often than not reasonable and accepting. “I want the world to find a
way to stop this so we can all live in peace,” Kimaya says. “Because this will not go well on the history of Af- rica.”
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