Albinos face harm, stigma in Africa
June 8th, 2008From the New York Times:
People with albinism, a rare genetic condition, have long faced discrimination and stigma in sub-Saharan Africa. But recently, in Tanzania, at least 19 people have been been killed in what authorities say is a growing criminal trade in albino body parts. Albinism rates vary throughout the world; about 1 person in 20,000 is an albino in the United States.
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 1 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.
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