Emiley Kim
World Lit Honors
Bennett
13 March, 2015
Every night, in a little mud hut in Tanzania, an old man by the name of Mabula sleeps on his bed, right on top of the final remains of his granddaughter Mariam.
Five year old Mariam Emmanuel was murdered in 2008 by a group of “human poachers” and was brutally mutilated and butchered. Even after her burial, robbers snuck to her grave and stole parts of her corpse to sell on the black market. What was Mariam’s crime? Why were people bothering her even after her death?
Mariam was albino, one of the estimated 100,000 people in Tanzania living with this genetic condition (Gilgoff). Albinism causes a lack of melanin production in the skin and eyes and leads to lighter than normal skin tone (Haldeman-Englert). Even with countries beginning to modernize, the traditions of the past are still prevalent in all levels of the social system. Among all of the African countries, Tanzania has an unusually high population of albinos, making it a key target for human poachers. Black magic that originated in rural tribes motivates people to hunt albinos to obtain parts of their body in order concoct cures for ailments and talismans for good fortune.
The high demand for albino body parts coupled with the fact that organs such as the eyes and blood sell for thousands of pounds makes this heinous crime a quick fix for cash (“Persons” and Malone). In a country where millions live well below the poverty line, this method seems like an easy way to make money. According to the UN, it is estimated that since 2000, 186 murders of this nature and motive were recorded throughout Africa (“Persons”). However, due to government corruption, only a fraction of the murderers were properly prosecuted. Out of 72 reported murders of albinos in Tanzania since 2000, only five have been punished (Gilgoff). These cases are especially difficult to bring attention to because of internal corruption of the police.
Fortunately, local organizations have taken initiative to destigmatize albinism. For example, in Moshi, Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center implemented a program to provide vocational training for people living with albinism. Many albinos are not even sent to school, and those who do attend perform poorly due to other symptoms of albinism such as poor eyesight. Additionally, the medical center educates other albinos in the nearby communities about precautions that they should take such as wearing long sleeves and sunscreen as well as the importance of early detection of potentially cancerous skin lesions (Gilgoff). With local initiatives to improve the lives of albinos, more people who were once ostracized are finding their place in society.
The Tanzanian government has also taken action after a recent spate of albino children kidnappings. Witch doctors were banned in an attempt to deter further harassment of albinos. The plan is to target several key regions where these crimes are especially prevalent and slowly spread the initiative to the rest of the country (Makoye). After decades of silence, the people and the government have finally begun to make reforms so that one day, all albino men, women, and children will finally be able to rest in peace.
Works Cited
Gilgoff, Dan. "As Tanzania's Albino Killings Continue, Unanswered Questions Raise Fears." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
Haldeman-Englert, Chad. "Albinism: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Makoye, Kizito. "Kidnap of Tanzanian Albino Child Sparks Call to Enforce Witch Doctor Ban." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Malone, Andrew. "The Albino Tribe Butchered to Feed a Gruesome Trade in 'magical' Body Parts." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
"Persons with Albinism Must Not Be Treated as “ghosts”, UN Experts Stress." United Nations. United Nations, 4 May 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
Your title and introduction really bring the reader to wonder what the article is about. Good job with making your article interesting but informative. This connects in a way to people being looked down upon because they are different. Because the albinos are different they are being murdered and kidnapped.
ReplyDeleteIts so sad that even once they are dead people are still after them and will go as far as digging them up from their grave to get their body parts. Why is it that these witchdoctors believe that they possess special powers?
ReplyDeleteThis article is very well written and explains the issues of albinos. This topic is something that many people know nothing about. I could never imagine how painful it would be to be in that situation. Is there any new program to stop the selling of these albino parts?
ReplyDeleteI really like your abstract and interesting topic choice. Your hook was intriguing and the rest of the article was interesting to read being both informative and well written. It reminds me of certain animals people hunt and are now endangered for commercial purpose, but it is interesing how this idea applies to humans in this context. I wonder if there are similar problems in our country.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this article really highlights another aspect of Africa's corruption. This is definitely a topic that I never thought about, and it's really shocking. How did you think of writing about this topic?
ReplyDeleteWow this is a really interesting subject. I really liked the intro and the whole theme of the article it was really well done. It is really interesting to see how other countries deal with things such as albinism. It is such a terrible thing for humans to be hunted like animals. I wonder what we can do as a people to stop such terrible things?
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