Albinism myths
MOST societies in Africa used to believe that albinism is a curse and brings bad luck.
Parents of babies with the condition would be forced or encouraged to “discard” them.
In some communities, women who give birth to babies with albinism can be accused of infidelity, being abnormal or cursed. Some husbands even abandon the wife and the child(ren).
The situation has improved in some communities but remains a cause for concern, mostly in East Africa, where persecution of people with albinism is still going on.
There is a misguided belief that certain body parts of people with albinism have magical powers. This fallacy has largely been spread by bogus witch doctors, who allegedly use these body parts as “ingredients” in rituals.
Concoctions and potions prepared with albino body parts are believed to bring prosperity and protect families from evil.
Similarly, there are superstitions that body parts of people with albinism bring power in society or improve sexual prowess. Some even wrongly believe that being intimate with a person living with albinism cures HIV/AIDS.
In some cases, graves of people with albinism are reportedly dug up and the remains stolen.
According to reports, at least 75 people with albinism were killed between 2000 and 2016 in Tanzania, as such cases surged.
However, the figure is believed to have been much higher because of missing persons and unreported murders. Some of the arrested people confirmed killing for ritual purposes. Current statistics reveal that, in Tanzania, people with albinism represent one in every 1 429 births, a higher rate than in any other nation.
In 2016, a group of 10 Malawian men were arrested for killing a 21-year-old albino woman. The 10 are said to have dragged the woman to a farm and killed her, before removing eight bones from her body.
They went on to shove the corpse in a sack, before burying it at the crime scene.
According to their testimonies in court, the culprits were motivated to kill the woman following rumours that bones of a person with albinism can be sold for huge amounts. The suspects were alleged to have taken the body parts to Lilongwe, but an arrangement to sell them failed to go through.
Two years back, Emmanuel Phiri’s dismembered body was found in a maize field several kilometres from his home in Zambia’s Eastern province.
The 43-year-old man’s eyes, tongue and arms had been removed in what appeared to be a case of horrific ritual killing of a person with albinism.