African Ghosts - Albino Island

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African Ghosts - Albino Island


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WITH their milky white skin, wispy hair and haunting, pale eyes, they are called “the living ghosts by locals. And the vulnerable albinos of Tanzania in East Africa have more than insults to fear. They are being hunted down and hacked to death to satisfy a growing demand for their body parts and blood to use in black magic.

It is the stuff of nightmares.

In the Mwanga district, near Mount Kilimanjaro, a baby girl was dressed in black by her mother and left alone in the family hut. A group of men cut off the pale girl’s legs, slit her throat, poured the blood into a pot and drank it. In another sickening case a man was caught trying to enter the Democratic Republic of Congo with an albino child HEAD in his luggage. He said a businessman in the country had offered to pay generously for the trophy, depending on the weight of the head.

The stories go on. A 35-year-old fisherman at Lake Tanganyika allegedly attempted to sell his 24-year-old albino wife to two businessmen from Congo for around ?2,000. And just last week, in the province of Shinyanga, 13-year-old albino Elizabeth Hussein was tempted from her home after hearing that a film about Jesus was to be screened in the village. On the way back she was hacked apart by a machete-armed mob. Her limbs were found at the home of a witch doctor' who fled cops following a tip-off.


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Safety ... map of Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania


Two days later 47-year-old Ezekiel John, 47, was shot and had his arms and legs severed near the city of Kigoma. These latest killings bring the number of brutal deaths of albinos in Tanzania to 35 in just a year. The minority community also suffers massive prejudice. Not only do they struggle to get jobs but the kids also need bodyguards to get to school safely. Even corpses are not safe. Heavy rocks have to be placed on top of the graves of albinos to stop bodysnatchers.
Slaughter Little wonder that so many Tanzanian albinos are flocking to a refuge on the remote island of Ukerewe on Lake Victoria, where such shocking behaviour is mercifully rare.

Alphonce Kajanja, an albino fishmonger, runs a stall in Ukerewes main market. He says: Life is better on the island. People here don't believe in this satanic campaign. Albinism is an inherited disorder. Sufferers lack melanin pigment, which protects the skin, eyes and hair from the suns ultraviolet rays. Because they are so prone to skin cancer in scorching Tanzania, sufferers have an average life expectancy of just 30. Across the world, around one person in 20,000 suffers from albinism. But it is much more widespread in Africa, with a rate of around one in 5,000.


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Fear ... Zihada Msembo, secretary general of
the Tanzanian Albino Society

Ukerewe is thought to have the worlds highest concentration. Legend has it that a mineral in native fish causes the high level of albinism. But some locals believe dumped albino children traditionally found sympathy and foster homes among Ukerewes big-hearted population.
The recent albino slaughter spree is being blamed on witch doctors, who claim that limbs and blood from pale-skinned sufferers enhance spells. Fishermen believe if they weave the red hair from an albino into nets, fish will be attracted by the glimmer.

Miners for gold, rubies and mineral tanzanite pay large sums for charms made with a potion mixed from albino body parts. Others are said to bury the bones of albinos as they dig. The Tanzanian Albino Society was established to fight the spread of such beliefs in the vast country, which has a population of 40million. The charity is funded by the British organisation Action On Disability & Development. Zihada Msembo, the secretary general of the society, says: They are cutting us up like chickens. Our biggest fear right now is the fear of living. If you leave work at night as an albino you are unsure of reaching home safely. When you sleep you are unsure of waking up in one piece.

In the streets you hear people plotting. They say, Look at the zeru (the Swahili word for ghost) we can get him. We are terrified to go outside or to get into our beds at night.

Hack

Al-Shaymaa Kwegyir, Tanzanias first albino MP, is determined to halt the murderous campaign against her people. She is delighted 170 arrests have been made in relation to the killings so far. But no one has been successfully prosecuted and she wants tougher action from President Jakaya Kikwete and the government. Al-Shaymaa, 48, says: In October we staged a demonstration in the city of Dar es Salaam to raise awareness of our situation.Many people were brave and supported it. But that same evening one of the demonstrators was followed home. She was grabbed and the assailants cut off her arm. They tried to hack off the other and it was left hanging and later had to be amputated. The attackers ran away. Now she is living in terror because she won't be able to fight back if they come after her again.

Ernest Kimaya, 42, chairman of the society, says: The people who are killing us are witch doctors or agents for them. What is happening is mad and horrible ? but we need to stand up to it. We need money to pay a lawyer. The government has ordered the police to carry out a census of albinos so we know how many of us there are. They have been told to protect us and escort children to school. It is a big step forward ? but we urgently need prosecutions to begin so that more Tanzanians hear of this injustice. To make a donation to Action On Disability & Development, go to add.org.uk (http://www.add.org.uk/)

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Fighting back ... albino protest in Dar es Salaam

Well what's the Tanzanian government doing about this? It's high time the culprits should be prosecuted.

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Albino trials begin in Tanzania


Trials have started in Tanzania of 12 people accused of murdering albino people and selling their body parts for use in witchcraft. More than 40 albinos have been killed there in the last 18 months. Witchdoctors sell their albino potions for thousands of dollars, claiming they bring prosperity and good fortune. Powerful businessmen are believed to be among the clients driving the trade. Dozens of people have been arrested, but none convicted so far. Human rights organisations have expressed shock it has taken so long for the trials, in Shinyanga and Kahama in the north of the country, to begin.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the justice system in Tanzania is notoriously slow and corrupt.

New phenomenon

Prejudice against them is widespread in Africa. But ritual killings in such numbers is a new phenomenon. Both adults and children have been attacked in their homes, hacked to death or had their throats cut. Each body part can be worth thousands of dollars. Superstitious miners, fishermen and businessmen in Tanzania, hoping to get rich quick, have been accused of fuelling the demand for the potions.

The number of attacks has gone down in recent months, but the albinos still live in fear. When a person with albinism dies and is buried, their resting place often has to be cemented over to deter grave robbers. The Tanzanian government has publicly stated its desire to end the killings. In March, President Jakaya Kikwete called on Tanzanians to come forward with any information they might have.

Last month, a similar trial began in neighbouring Burundi, with 11 men accused of attempting to killing albinos and selling their body parts. Some were believed to have been traded over the border to Tanzania. There are estimated to be about 17,000 albinos living in Tanzania. They lack pigment in their skin and appear pale.


Sifa mojawapo ya mahakama za Tanzania - Kikwete unatupeleka wapi?

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Death for Tanzania albino killers


A court in north-western Tanzania has sentenced three men to death by hanging for killing a 14-year-old albino boy. They were found guilty of attacking Matatizo Dunia and severing his legs in Bukombe district in Shinyanga province. In the past two years there has been a huge rise in murders of albino people. Witchdoctors use

their body parts in potions they claim bring prosperity. Dozens of people have been arrested, but the justice system is notoriously slow and this is the first conviction. In July a court in neighbouring Burundi sentenced one person to life in prison and eight others to jail for the murder of albino people whose remains were sold in Tanzania.

Lucrative business

The three men attacked and killed the young boy last December - one of a string of more than 50 albino murders that have taken place in Tanzania over the past two years. They have the right to appeal against the death sentence - a punishment their lawyers described as unexpected.
Albino people are killed because potions made from their body parts are believed to bring good luck and wealth. Witchdoctors in Tanzania and other parts of East Africa - especially Burundi - have made tens of thousands of dollars from

selling potions and other items made from the bones, hair, skin and genitals of dead albino people.
Witchdoctors pay a lot of money for body parts. The Tanzanian government has publicly stated its desire to end the killings. In March, President Jakaya Kikwete called on Tanzanians to come forward with any information they might have. Officials banned witchdoctors from practising, however many have continued to work. Some correspondents say it is possible that Wednesday's death sentence will deter people from killing albino people.

But BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says in a country as poor as Tanzania, it is likely that some murders will continue because so much money can be made from selling the body parts. There are estimated to be about 17,000 albino people living in Tanzania. They lack pigment in their skin and appear pale.