Tropical Heat
/ Facts Behind The Fiction
The Facts Behind the Fiction – Albinism
Albinism is a genetic condition that causes the pigment of the skin to appear pale to pink and very sensitive to sun exposure. Their body is unable to produce melanin like everyone else causing the skin to be very poor. According to some research most Albinos do not live past the age of 30 and most develop Cancer and die painful deaths. An Albino person is not:
-Evil
-magical
-a white ghosts
-cannot be placed in potions to make one wealthy
-sex with them cannot cure diseases
This group of people are being murdered, raped, and sometimes injured because of the false facts and beliefs. In Tanzania there have been thousands of Albinos murdered or harmed in some way, and most times these crimes are not prosecuted. There are witch doctors that are aiding in spreading these false truths and paying/contracting killers to kidnap Albinos for profit. In Zimbabwe men infected with HIV are raping Albino women under the superstition that they will be cured, thus spreading the disease even more throughout the country.
The Albino population is prisoners in their own country and amongst their own family and friends. In some instances relatives, and even significant others, have traded their loved one for profit. The children stay away from school in fear of being carted off or killed by these villains for body parts. In Africa Albinism is viewed as a disability because it limits the individuals from doing any activity, including work that will over expose them to the sun. With no education or ability to work this populous of people continue to need relief from government and other resources to assist them with living everyday life. We as a world need to be more in tuned with other parts of the world so atrocities like this one will not continue to happen.
For more information on Albinism: go to “Under the Same Sun.”
By: Mrs. Quatina Willis