Blacks kill albinos. Why doesn't the Tanzanian albino black live to adulthood? Arriving in Tanzania, what did you see on the spot?
Albinos- people with an extraordinary appearance, who are quite rare in the world. According to statistics, the largest number of them live in Tanzania, and here their fates are often tragic. The reason for this is the terrible rituals and beliefs that exist in society. According to them, the albino body has mystical power. In order to prepare healing potions, these people are often killed or assassinated, brutally injuring them and cutting off their limbs...
The fate of albino people is always difficult anyway: due to genetic mutations, many of them have vision problems and suffer from skin diseases. In impoverished Tanzania, under the scorching sun, many albinos die at a very young age from skin cancer because they are unable to take care of themselves. But even those who manage to survive the fight against nature become victims of human cruelty.
Local sorcerers often use body parts of albinos to prepare “medicinal” drugs and perform magical rituals. Needless to say, in a society where poverty is rampant, a real hunt has begun for “transparent” people. Often relatives of white-skinned babies are ready to commit a crime, because the birth of an albino is considered a curse for the family, but the sums that a “successful” transaction promises are simply fabulous for the residents of Tanzania.
The body of an albino is estimated to be worth about 75 thousand dollars, which is how much one can honestly earn in a lifetime. The first non-humans who decided to kill an albino for profit were publicly executed for their crime, and after this, cases of attacks on albinos for the purpose of self-mutilation became more frequent in small villages. Criminals can use huge machetes to chop off an arm or leg and run away with the “loot.”
When such incidents began to occur more and more often, European public organizations began to help those living in Tanzania. Some children manage to be taken out of the country, many remain to live in special closed boarding houses, and disabled people who have suffered because of their appearance are also accommodated here. Many people remember that the injuries were caused to them by their closest relatives; living with this knowledge becomes unbearable for many albinos. They decide never to return to their families.
Albinos in Africa are killed and their bodies sold on the black market. People are being kidnapped on the streets and from their own homes. To change the attitude of Africans towards albinism, the first beauty contest among people with albinism was held in Kenya.
African albinos are victims of ritual murders - their body parts are sold on the black market as “good luck charms”. Kenya decided to change the attitude of Africans towards albinos and held the Mr & Miss Albinism Kenya 2016 beauty contest on Human Rights Day. Organizers hope that the competition will allow society to integrate with albinos and stop the tide of ritual killings.
Albinism in Africa
Albinism is most common in Africans. Depending on the country, the number of albinos varies from one in 5,000 to one in 15,000 people. In 2014, 129 albinos were killed, 181 were persecuted and mutilated in Africa.
African Norbuso Kele from South Africa says that dark-skinned Africans discriminate against him for his white skin color. When an albino guy passes by, the old men whisper curses after him. He was persecuted at school and university for the color of his skin.
“We need to fight the myths about albinos,” says Norbuso. “Sex with us will not cure AIDS. You can’t be so gullible.”
Albinos suffer the most in Malawi; the UN has declared that albinos in this state are on the verge of extinction.
Malawian 17-year-old albino David Fletcher went to play football, but did not return home. He was kidnapped by four men, killed and his limbs cut off. They sold the limbs on the black market and buried the body.
Even if an albino dies a natural death, there is a high risk that his remains will be stolen from the cemetery and sold to a local sorcerer.
UN expert on albinism Ikponwosa Ero says Malawi's justice system does not punish the killing and persecution of albinos harshly enough. She called on the country's government to intervene and stop the destruction of people with albinism. In Tanzania and Kenya, killers of albinos have already been sentenced to death.
Albinos in Africa constantly live in fear, in anticipation of reprisals, physical or sexual violence.
Unusual beauty
The rehabilitation of albinism, in particular African albinism, has been going on for several years in the fashion world.
Albino models are increasingly appearing on catwalks and photo shoots of fashion magazines, and some of them are becoming highly paid “supermodels.”
The fashion world has shown tolerance for the unusual appearance These people are trying to show the whole world that this is normal and that you can’t be persecuted for your appearance.
Among men, an albino supermodel can be called an American Sean Ross .
During the years of the one-party regime, the leading role in the political life of the country was played by the ruling party ChChM. Apart from her, only organizations controlled by her could exist legally. To reach the rural population, five mass public organizations were created, uniting women, youth, parents of students, elderly people and co-operators. The authorities strictly regulated the activities of all mass associations. The creation of alternative organizations was prohibited. The party also controlled trade unions, which were more a tool for strengthening party control than organizations defending the interests of workers.He was born in New York, he and his family were not hunted - as happens in Africa. But in the Bronx, where he grew up, he was persecuted and bullied.
The young man studied acting and dancing, and at the age of 16 he left the theater stage for fashion catwalks. It was the appearance of Sean Ross on the catwalk that opened the doors to fashion for many unusual models - albinos, people with vitiligo (skin pigmentation disorder) - everyone who was persecuted because of their unusual appearance.
Model Chantel Winnie with vitiligo.
Model Diandra Forest also born in New York. She now works in Tanzania for an organization that protects albinos from discrimination.
Like Shawn Ross, Diandra was born in New York, in the Bronx. Because of bullying at school, she was sent to a special institution where other children with albinism studied.
Having already achieved a lot in the fashion world, Diandra devoted herself to African albinos. She works with the Tanzanian organization ACN. In Tanzania, like Kenya and Malawi, they practice ritual murders people with albinism.
What is albinism
Albinism is a gene mutation with a congenital absence of the pigment melanin. As a result, a person is born with a complete or partial absence of skin color, eyes, and hair.
Albinos have colorless, blue or pink eyes, very pale light skin, and are blond. Their body does not have a protective mechanism against ultraviolet radiation; in the sun they do not develop a tan, but burns and even skin cancer.
An albino child can be born to any family; he will not lag behind other children in development. An albino child will most often have children with normal pigmentation.
Albinism occurs in all living beings and in all countries of the world.
Main photo: Justin Dingwall
There was no freedom of speech in Tanzania during the 1970s and 1980s. There was an atmosphere of suspicion towards imaginary external and internal enemies who allegedly hindered the country's progress towards a bright future. Such sentiments in society especially intensified during the economic crisis of the early 1980s.
Although the one-party system was in principle anti-democratic, the country held elections for local, regional and national authorities, and Nyerere's candidacy for the presidency was approved in popular referendums in 1965, 1970, 1975 and 1980. In 1985, Nyerere resigned as president, but remained Chairman of the ChChM. The new president of the country was Zanzibari Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who held this post from October 1985 to 1995. Despite the defeat of many prominent party figures in the 1985 elections, determining the political and economic course of the country remained the prerogative of the CFM. The popularly elected parliament has long turned into a body obedient to the Black Sea Council.
ChChM had an extensive network of local organizations. Every ten houses formed a primary party cell. The leaders of the cells were the main support of the ChChM on the ground. There was a strict hierarchy in party and government bodies, and all important decisions accepted at the very top. All that was required from the lower classes was the approval and implementation of the decisions of the party and the government.
In the 1990s, Nyerere began to move toward abandoning the one-party system. In 1991, a specially created commission (the Nyalali Commission) began to determine public opinion regarding changes in the political system. After discussing this issue at conferences and seminars at the end of 1991, the commission submitted a report to the government. In February 1992, parliament approved amendments to the constitution that provided for the introduction of a multi-party system.
The liberalization of political life has caused profound changes in the country. The granting of freedom of speech accelerated the creation of several press organs and eased political tensions. After the removal of party-state control over the activities of public associations, a number of non-governmental organizations appeared. The goal of many of them was to support the social sphere (primarily health care and education), which was previously financed by the state. Other organizations discussed land reform, conservation environment, women's rights, etc. In 1993, political parties were created and began preparations for the 1995 elections.
13 political parties took part in these elections, but only four of them nominated their candidates for the presidency. The ChChM won a convincing victory, whose candidates were elected to the highest government posts. Benjamin Mkapa became the President of Tanzania, Omar Juma became the first vice-president and prime minister of the mainland, and Salmin Amour became the second vice-president and president of Zanzibar. The CCM achieved control not only over the executive branch, but also won 214 of the 275 seats in the new National Assembly. The largest opposition force in the elections was the National Convention for Creation and Reform (NCCR), led by the famous anti-corruption activist Augustin Mrema. The NCSR received the greatest support in the Kilimanjaro region, Mrema's homeland. In the presidential elections, he won 27.8% of the vote, and his party won 19 parliamentary seats. Representatives of the influential United Civil Front (UCF) party in Zanzibar received 28 parliamentary seats, but its candidate collected only 6.4% of the votes in the presidential elections. Two other opposition parties each won several seats in parliament: the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Party for Democracy and Progress (CHADEMA).
The CCM formed a government of 23 ministers. It is noteworthy that many former senior party members were not offered positions in the new government. After the elections, the position of the ChChM government strengthened, which was facilitated by the conflict within the NKSR, the most influential party. In 1997, a struggle began between Augustin Mrema and the rest of the NCSR executive committee for control of the organization. After numerous publications in the press about internal party strife, the number of NKSR supporters sharply decreased. Many voters previously saw Mrem as a contender for the presidency of Tanzania, but only if he showed qualities worthy of a statesman. The union with Zanzibar was going through a difficult period due to accusations of rigging the results of elections on the island, which allowed the CFM to take a majority of seats in parliament there. As a sign of protest, UCF activists carried out a long boycott of parliament. Relations between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar remain tense.
In 1997, a report became public knowledge, which provided numerous documentary evidence of widespread corruption in government structures. Passions were also boiling over plans for a radical land reform that would legislate the right of private ownership of land. Since Tanzania has a strong tradition of collective land use and mass consciousness Since the prevailing idea is that land cannot be the subject of sale and purchase, the government has decided to hold a broad discussion on this issue. The discussion raised questions about women's right to own land and the relationship between nomadic pastoralists who move livestock to seasonal pastures and the government, which needs the land to create national parks and develop tourism.
During the second presidential election in 2000, Mpaka was re-elected to another five-year term with 71 percent of the vote, although the opposition refused to accept the election results and called for a boycott of the new parliament. Disappointment over the results of the last elections in 2001 led to violent demonstrations and accusations against the police. A series of rallies in Zanzibar calling for new elections turned violent, leaving about 40 people dead and many others injured. After the end of Mpaka's second term, in the presidential election, former Foreign Minister Jakaya Kikwete (of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party) won 80 percent of the popular vote and won. He appointed Edward Lowass as his prime minister and the government was sworn in in December 2005. Kikwete promised to continue his predecessor's economic reforms. In February 2008, the cabinet was dissolved by the president after a corruption scandal. The Prime Minister resigned. He was replaced by Misengo Pinda and a new cabinet was created.
Text hiddenWho in the 21st century is not familiar with the concepts of “homosexuality”, “fetish”, “drug addiction”, “prostitution”? Over the course of several decades, the world literally exploded with freedom of morals and tolerance for freaks. Modern Europe will give odds to any country in terms of liberality in relation to the most strange people. It doesn't matter what your skin color, religion or orientation is. But have such orders been established everywhere? Tanzania and albinos – this topic is still relevant today.
Our planet is experiencing a huge number of diseases - plague, smallpox, AIDS, cancer, genetic mutations... We seem to have come to terms with everything that can directly or indirectly affect the fate and health of a person. But we have never been able to eradicate superstition and painful prejudices in ourselves.
An albino is a person who is congenitally lacking skin pigmentation. In European countries there are 1 in 20,000 such individuals. But there are countries in which the percentage of albinos is incredibly high. And for people born with such a disease, life becomes a real challenge.
West Africa, and especially Tanzania, boasts a huge amount albinos. It is still unclear why this disease is increasingly occurring there. But one thing is known for certain: a Tanzanian albino is unlikely to live to be 40 years old. Because he will be eaten.
Some corners of our planet still remain illiterate and underdeveloped; shamanism and different types witchcraft, especially black magic. People have blindly believed in the power of shamans for many centuries, and it is almost impossible to eradicate this belief. Poverty and lack of basic education leave their mark on almost all of Africa. People still treat colds by spraying ground and charmed tree bark around the house, and attract wealth into the house by eating the limbs of “special” fellow tribesmen.
For five hundred years there has been a belief that an albino is a superbeing. Some believe that he is a messenger of the divine, while others believe that he is a fiend of hell. But both opinions boil down to one thing - if you eat a certain albino limb, you can get rich, be cured of all diseases and bring good luck to your home.
Photo: Yasuyochi Chiba/AFP The life of an albino in Tanzania is similar to a scary fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel, whom the old witch wanted to cook in the oven. The hunt for “transparent” neighbors has become so commonplace that no one will be surprised if in broad daylight a couple of healthy adult African Americans grab a white boy or girl and, without going far, shoot them in front of their parents, cut off all the necessary parts of the body and leave mutilated corpse at the crime scene. And it doesn’t matter to hunters whether the victim has a family, because even one hand of “magical” meat can provide 10 years of carefree and rich life an unfeeling killer.
The situation is so hopeless that even the authorities are taking virtually no steps to tame the population. Unhappy people with colorless skin are forced to hide in their homes almost all their lives. Even special boarding schools with enhanced security cannot protect poor children from death - the soldiers themselves are ready to collude with the hunters and take away an innocent life for a mountain of money.
Photo: Yasuyochi Chiba/AFP But not only desperate hunting is a danger for the African albino - the scorching sun has too harmful an effect on the skin and vision, and by the age of 16-18 they become almost blind, and by the age of 30 they develop skin cancer. Of course, it is much easier to escape from these ailments than from superstitious neighbors - you just have to apply sunscreen and wear dark glasses. But...we are talking about one of the poorest countries in the world, and such luxury is practically unavailable there.
The only salvation for the unfortunate people now is the Red Cross organization. Naturally, such blatant cruelty did not go unnoticed in civilized countries - everything possible is being done to create closed institutions in which people without pigment can live without fearing for themselves and their families every minute. Due to the high response throughout the world, the African government was forced to introduce penalties for the murder of an albino (death penalty) and for the deprivation of limbs (5-8 years in prison).
But the most important thing has not been done yet - uneducated Africans still believe in their shamans, and this blind faith is embedded so deeply that it will probably take several more centuries to remake the people there.
Until then, their “transparent” brothers will flinch at every rustle in own home and pray to meet the next day alive...
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Remember one of the mutually exclusive concepts - the white black man? It even sounds somewhat funny in the ordinary minds of representatives of this race. However, in reality, such a phenomenon, although rare, does occur.
Usually albino cubs are born in animals, but this also happens in humans. Well, where else could this happen if not in Africa?! But it’s one thing to be born with such an anomaly, and another thing...to survive with it. Exactly to survive! See below for details on how difficult this is.
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East Africa and especially Tanzania is an area with an abnormally high proportion of albinos - it is 15 times higher than the world average. Albino blacks are the most vulnerable part of local society - they are hunted, chopped into pieces and eaten as medicine. The West saves them in special boarding schools.
On average, there is 1 albino per 20 thousand people worldwide. This ratio is 1:1400, in Kenya and Burundi – 1:5000. Scientists still cannot clearly explain why in these areas the percentage of albinos is so high. It is known that both parents must have the gene for this deviation in order for their child to be born “transparent”. In Tanzania, albinos are considered the most outcast part of society, and they are forced to marry among themselves. Perhaps this is the main reason for the abnormally high percentage of such people in these territories.
The high number of albinos is “regulated” by consumer consumption – in the literal sense! – the attitude of “classic blacks” towards them. For at least five centuries, there has been a belief that albino flesh is medicinal, and a real hunt is organized for them. Since 2006, at least 71 albinos have died in Tanzania, and 31 managed to escape from the clutches of hunters. You can understand the passion of the hunters: albino flesh, if you sell it to healers and sorcerers in parts - tongue, eyes, limbs, etc. – costs 50-100 thousand dollars. This is what an average Tanzanian earns over 25-50 years.
The demand for albinos increased sharply with the spread of AIDS in Tanzania. There was a belief that eating dried genitals would get rid of this disease.
Until recently, hunting for albinos was almost not punished - the system of mutual responsibility of the local society led to the fact that the community basically declared them “missing”. But Western public opinion, outraged by the brutal practices in Tanzania, forced local authorities to reluctantly begin searching for and punishing the cannibals.
In 2009, the first trial of the killers of an albino took place in Tanzania. Three men caught a 14-year-old albino, killed him and cut him into small pieces to sell to sorcerers. The court sentenced the villains to death by hanging.
But this incident made the cannibals more inventive - they switched from killing albinos to cutting off their limbs. Even if the criminal is caught, they will be able to avoid the death penalty, and will receive only 5-8 years for grievous bodily harm.
Over the past three years, at least 90 albinos had their arms or legs cut off, and three died as a result of such “operations.”
98% of albinos in Tanzania do not live to be 40 years old. But this is not only due to their killing (for the sake of eating). Their skin and eyes are especially susceptible to ultraviolet radiation, and therefore by the age of 16-18, albinos lose 60-80% of their vision, and by the age of 30 they have a 60% chance of developing skin cancer.
It is not difficult to save your health - you need to constantly use sunscreen and wear sunglasses. But in impoverished Tanzania, people do not have money for all this.
Albinos have one hope for salvation - the attention of the West. And he helps them survive. Medicines for albinos are being supplied to Tanzania and other countries of East Africa, and most importantly, special boarding schools are being built for them with Western money, where albinos live behind high walls and guards in isolation from the surrounding terrible reality.
This is such a difficult life in the already difficult African life. Even being born blue-black in our country cannot be compared to having white skin on a black continent...
