Africa’s albinos face superstition and even murder

Siphenati Nayekiso, who was born without skin or hair pigmentation, explains what it is like to be albino in today’s Africa.

By Melissa ButlandSiphenati Nayekiso clearly remembers the day when an attempt was made to kidnap him when he was still a child. “I was just a little boy when two men approached me, grabbed me and wanted to take me with them. Luckily a neighbour saw them. She screamed and frightened them off,” the 21-year-old says. “Otherwise I would probably have been dead,” says Nayekiso, whose  parents are black but is an albino — someone whose skin and hair are white as a result of the absence of pigment in the skin. Nayekiso stands out in a crowd. In Africa, albinism often means constant danger and lifelong fear, as prejudice and superstition frequently result in persecution and even death.“The less educated people are, the more they tend to believe myths about the supernatural qualities albinos are thought to possess, and the more likely (the albinos) are to be murdered,” says Peter Ash.Ash is founder and head of the Canadian organisation Under The Same Sun (UTSS), which says it is the largest aid organisation involved in countering prejudice against albinism in Africa.Albinos frequently suffer discrimination and are ostracised in Africa, sometimes accused of bringing bad luck on their families and tribes. They are often persecuted or murdered on the instruction of faith healers practising superstitions.“These witchdoctors insist that our blood contains cures for Aids, or they turn our fingers into talismans supposed to bring wealth to the owner,” Nayekiso says.An albino’s body is worth up to $75,000 to a faith healer, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Sometimes the parents themselves murder their albino children and sell their bodies.Children with albinism are particularly sought after, according to Ash. Discrimination and the pernicious myths about this small minority are widespread in Africa, with albinos in the east of the continent most in danger. According to UTSS, more than 70 albinos have been murdered in Tanzania since 2006.A further 29 with pigmentation abnormalities had body parts cut off while fully conscious, the organisation says. There have been 17 murders of this kind in Burundi over the same period. Ash says abductions and murders often go unreported.Tanzania’s government has taken measures to protect albinos, launching education campaigns and keeping a closer check on traditional healers. But the IFRC continues to call for more action from African governments.The albino minority needs more assistance.  “Prosecuting offenders is important, but there is a lack of education, particularly among the poorer rural population,” says Susan DuBois, founder of the US aid organization Asante Mariamu.African albinos may live in fear, but there are hopes for change, as shown by albinos who have become leaders and role models, like the model Diandra Forrest and Tanzanian member of parliament Salum Khalfani Bar’wani.Salif Keita, a Malian pop singer of international renown, was ostracised by his own family. He has used his wealth to found the albino aid organisation, Salif Keita Global Foundation.Although he lives in the relatively safe environs of Cape Town, Nayekiso faces a daily struggle against prejudice. “We are said to be immortal spirits. Women turn away from me on the street, as they fear that if I look at them they could give birth to a child with albinism,” he says.Nayekiso faced down the discrimination and ostracism to get through school and is now undergoing training in the theatrical world. He is well aware that in many other parts of Africa this would not have been possible. – DPA