Volume I Issue 2 Tanzanians have been com-
plaining that cases involving albino murders or mutilation have been dragged out in court and that there has been no immediate action taken. Some believe that this encourages these violent acts to keep occurring. Some of these complaints have been put to rest now that the four men involved in murdering and mutilat- ing a 14-year-old albino boy were handed a death sentence. Although some human rights
activists are still against the death sentence being practiced in Tanza- nia, the general feeling is that this sentence is fitting for the crime. “Some activists still protest the sen- tence as a whole, but I feel in this case this sentence was given to make Tanzanians feel justice has been served,” says Nzuki from the Human Rights Commission. “My department finds the judgment sat- isfactory, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that this will help in the quest to stop these murders.” After the conviction of the
four men, there have been fewer at- tacks reported by the media in Tan- zania. This might be a good sign, but there is also some speculation that the media has been told not to report stories concerning albino murders. One theory is that these restrictions are being placed on the press to protect some prominent members of Tanzanian society who are involved in these brutal acts; elections are due this year and the government doesn’t want any bad publicity. These accusations have not
yet been proven or substantiated with confirmations from govern- ment officials, but they are a rea- sonable alternative to the farther- fetched theory that the media has simply tired of the issue; city-dwell- ing Tanzanians purchase papers to read about grisly attacks and mur- ders.
Only two substantial actions
have been taken so far by the gov- ernment – apart from “condemning” the perpetrators in the previously mentioned case and encouraging the legal system to arrive at a just decision in a timely manner – to discourage the violence against albi- nos in Tanzania. First, the federal government revoked the licenses of some witch doctors suspected of purchasing albino body parts. Sec- ond, President Kikwete appointed Al-Shymaa Kway-Geer, an albino woman, to the office of a Member of Parliament. These actions have cer- tainly increased publicity and raised the profile of the issue in Tanzania, but the impact in terms of prevent- ing abuse directed at albinos is un- certain. So what is being done to stop
these viscous attacks against albi- nos? Nzuki thinks that Tanzanians need to be educated on the sub- ject of albinism more. “Community groups and organizations need to educate the entire community in order to realize that albinos are hu- man beings who need joint support and understanding,” he says. “We are educating communities about the need to work for their own liv- ing, rather than kill fellow human
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