Being an albino in sub-Saharan Africa is already bad enough, due to lack of resources and being over exposed to the blistering sun most sub-Saharan albinos die from skin cancer before they reach 30. On top of this they are usually shunned from society, living as outcasts begging for food or money to survive.
But things have recently become even worse for the albino community in Africa. Many people across Africa believe albinos have magical powers, or are “lucky”. Albinos are referred to as “sope”, which means “something magical inhabited by powerful evil spirits”. Because of this belief, African witch doctors have been recommending sexual intercourse with an albino as a cure for HIV for some time now. This has seen a dramatic increase in the number of albino women being raped in south-east Africa.
But the horror doesn’t end there, now albino skin and body parts are becoming a valuable commodity. In Tanzania alone there have been at least nineteen albino people, including children, killed and mutilated in the past year.
The victims are usually hacked to death with machetes, often skinned and usually with eyes, tongues and breasts gouged out.
One victim, Vumilia Makoye aged just 17, was at home eating supper with her family when two men approached their home carrying machetes. The family tried to barricade the door, but the men managed to force entry and pounced on Vumilia. As her family watched helplessly the two men sawed Vumilia’s legs off above the knee and ran off with them. Vumilia bled to death.
Al-Shaymaa Kwegyir, Tanzania’s new albino member of parliament, said, “People think we’re lucky. That’s why they’re killing us. But we’re not lucky.”
