Hunting for humans: African albinos live in fear - CNN.com

For Agness Jonathan, every day is a gamble with her children's lives.

Simple questions like whether they should go to school carry an unimaginable risk of death and dismemberment to satisfy a barbaric demand. 

 

This is because her daughters are living with albinism, a genetic condition resulting in little or no pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. And this makes them a target.

It is children like Agness' who, according to a newly released Amnesty International report, are being hunted like animals in Malawi where their bones are sold in the belief the body parts bring wealth, happiness and good luck.

The report chronicles the day-to-day lives of those living with the condition, and details the extent of a recent surge in killings of albinos living in the landlocked country in southern Africa. 

 

The bloodiest month was April this year, when Amnesty says four people were murdered, including a baby.

Hunting for humans: African albinos live in fear - CNN.com

Albino Girl, 5, Kidnapped And Killed By Gunmen

Gunmen stormed into the child's home in the early hours of Wednesday morning, attacking her parents before abducting her.

They were pursued by the family's neighbours, who later discovered the girl's dismembered body.

A local spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that "the bandits had taken one of her arms".

An investigation has been launched into the girl's death, but police are certain the gunmen were targeting the girl as nothing else was taken from the property.

It is the first reported killing of a person with albinism in Burundi for four years.

Often, they are murdered so their body parts can be used in witchcraft rituals.

Albino Girl, 5, Kidnapped And Killed By Gunmen

Tanzania Police Arrest Man Who Tried to Sell Albino Niece for Body Parts | VICE News

Tanzanian authorities have nabbed a 44-year-old man in an undercover sting aimed at curbing the selling of people with albinism to witchdoctors and others who would use their body parts in black magic.

People with albinism, also known as albinos, have an extreme deficiency of melanin pigmentation that makes their skin and hair very pale. The condition generally results from recessive genes carried by parents. Albinism in Africa brings with it an increased chance of developing fatal skin cancer, and the lack of pigment to protect eyes against the bright sun can cause sight problems.

Morbidly, in some areas where superstitions prevail, there are those who believe that the body parts of people with albinism bring wealth and luck when used in charms.

The suspect arrested in Tanzania was allegedly trying to sell his six-year-old albino niece, but did not know that he was actually dealing with security officials as part of an operation to put a halt to the illegal body part trade, Reuters reported.

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One child in 3,000 is born with albinism in East Africa, compared to one in 20,000 in the United States. Advocacy groups estimate that there are more than 100,000 albinos in Tanzania. The targeting of this group in abductions and killings has become common — more than 76 albinos have been murdered in the country since 2000 and various others mutilated in some way.

Tanzania Police Arrest Man Who Tried to Sell Albino Niece for Body Parts | VICE News

Ritual Killing and Skepticism in Zambia

Zambia has just recorded its ‘first case’ of albino killing. Suspected ritualists butchered a 37 year old albino woman in the eastern district of Lundazi. They cut off her right hand and extracted the teeth from her mouth. In Zambia, ritual murder is on the rise.

Mutilated bodies of persons suspected to have been killed by ritualists were found in many parts of the country. Some body parts - arms, tongues, genitals or skin - were missing. The bodies of a 19 year old boy and a 70 year old woman with missing organs were discovered in Lusaka and in the Western province. Some suspected victims of ritual murder in the Central province had their hands and legs chopped off. Ritual killing is a common practice across countries in sub Saharan Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Tanzania and Malawi. Why are Zambians – and many people across Africa still murdering people for rituals?


The belief in Zambia is that these body parts can be used to perform sacrifice which can fortify people spiritually or bring good luck and success. People harvest these body parts which are sold or sent to local medicine men who use them to perform rituals. The sale of body parts for ritual sacrifice accounts for the thriving market in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, etc

Unfortunately many Zambians have not bothered to ask : Can ritual sacrifice really make one rich?

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Zambians should begin to challenge claims associated with ritual killing and human sacrifice because if these underpinning misconceptions are not debunked, these vicious practices will not disappear. They will not stop. Definitely, it is not all Zambians that believe that money or success can be achieved through ritual sacrifice. There are skeptics and critical thinking people in Zambia. The issue is this: What are they doing? Why are they not speaking out? Why are their views and perspectives not captured in the discourse on ritual killing? What are they saying about the claim that ‘albino eyes, genitals and limbs can make somebody rich? Why are they not providing Zambia with skeptical fortification for people with albinism as against the supposed spiritual fortification which Zambia derive from ritual sacrifice of human body parts? Skeptics in Zambia may not want to speak out because they fear being attacked or persecuted. They fear being branded ‘atheists’ and stigmatized.

Ritual Killing and Skepticism in Zambia