Posted on June 19, 2008 by thestateofblog
Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but recently in Tanzania it has taken a wicked twist: At least 19 albinos, including children, have been killed and mutilated in the past year, victims of what Tanzanian officials say is a growing criminal trade in albino body parts.
Many people in Tanzania — and across Africa, for that matter — believe albinos have magical powers. They stand out, often the lone white face in a black crowd, a result of a genetic condition that impairs normal skin pigmentation and strikes about one in 3,000 people here. Tanzanian officials say witch doctors are now marketing albino skin, bones and hair as ingredients in potions that are promised to make people rich.
As the threats have increased, the Tanzanian government has mobilized to protect its albino population, an already beleaguered group whose members are often shunned as outcasts and die of skin cancer before they reach 30.
The State Of . . . Tanzanian albinos: unimaginable.
Filed under: Culture
It’s that BS superstition like this that gives Africa a bad name…Plus the Mugabe-like strongmen.
Till this day Africans will harbor such backwards mentality. It’s no wonder we are still in the state we are in. Imagine way back when in Nigeria twins were being killed off because of retarded idealogy like this.
*Lookup Ibeji to know what I’m talking about*
I’m quite glad I’m not an albino!
Africa is huge not exactly a homogenous place.
I was born and bred in Ghana and I don’t recall any extraordinary discrimination against albinos.
I see them as people with a condition much like any other.
When I was a child in primary school in Ghana, mixed race kids were always called dissapointed Africans by the other kids. Short kids were called Kapwepwe…. an so on and so forth.
So, while I’m not disputing this story, Sub Saharan Africa is a large place, and what happens in Togo or Cameroun does not necessarily reflect what hapens in Tanzania or Zanzibar.
Accra.
it really doesn’t matter; Africa gets painted by a broad brush. Europeans are generally not superstitious - mos tcertainly not to the point where they would do some dumb shyt like kill of albinos because their bodies have magical powers.
Same thing with Asia and the animal parts that cure arthritis. perhaps a gland or something might have medicinal pwoers but tp think that monkey paw soup will cure a disease is something that western culture ain’t ready for.
@ pres
It’s the painted by a broad brush part that I object to.
There’s crazy shit every where pres, including in the USA.
It may not be driven by supersition but by something else. Say greed or arrogance how about supremacy?
When you knowingly kill hundreds of thousands of people under the false premise of…… say WMD….. is that any different?
Evidently the ” western culture” is not averse to killing!
And pres, it does matter…… all these shock value type news items, giving the impression that in Africa ( large continent with numerous countries, albinos are killed…….. that is simply not accurate.
There is discrimination everywhere particularly against disabled people. It is more evident in underdeveloped countries because of the lack of resources, social ammenities or a social net .
Somewhat similar to the high crime rate in poor deprived urban areas, where young people shoot each other because of the colour of their shirt or something dumb as that……
Killing of human beings is a terrible thing no matter where or how it happens.
Try to understand it in this context.
Accra,
You always come with great perspective. Thanks!
Thanks Big J.
Please don’t hotlink to me again…
Penis? wat?