Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Yusuph Malago sits under a tree. It protects him from the hot African sun. Here in Western Tanzania, the sun is very hot. Its heat is particularly dangerous for Yusuph. Yusuph has very white skin. It burns easily. He must be careful in the sun. Yusuph looks different from the other native people living there. He has white skin and hair. Yusuph is an albino. Albinos have the genetic condition – albinism. In Yusuph’s village, many people do not understand his condition. They fear it. They hate it! This means that Yusuph not only needs protection from the sun. He needs protection from people too!
In today’s programme we look at the situation for albinos in parts of Africa. Our examples are in Tanzania. We look at what the government there is doing there to make life easier for albinos.
Voice 2
Albino people are born with a particular problem. They cannot produce enough melanin. Melanin is the substance that gives colour to a person’s skin, hair and eyes. People with naturally dark skin have a lot of melanin. People with light skin have less melanin. The sun can increase melanin levels. This is why people’s skin goes darker. One kind of albinism affects only the eyes. Another kind affects the eyes, skin and hair. A lack of melanin does not only influence the way a person looks. A lack of melanin in the eyes can cause difficulty in seeing. And a lack of melanin in the skin increases the risk of skin cancer.
Voice 1
But in parts of Africa, health issues are not the only concern for albinos. There is another issue that threatens them. This is the negative attitude towards them in their communities. In some villages, this attitude had led to terrible crimes against albinos. Albinos like Yusuph Malago are very frightened.
Voice 2
May 2008, Western Tanzania. An albino girl was attacked and killed. The girl’s name was Vumilla Makoye. She was just seventeen [17] years old. Her mother explained how her killers cut her daughter three times. First, they cut her neck. Then they cut her legs off. Vumila Makoye was from the same village as Yusuph Malago. Yusuph, and other albinos live in fear. Yusuph said:
Voice 3
‘I am on the run. If I walk, someone may cut my legs off! I am really frightened, really frightened.’
Voice 1
In 2008, there were around twenty reported albino killings in Tanzania. Tanzanian officials said that witch doctors in the villages were partly responsible. A witch doctor uses traditional methods to heal or harm people. In Tanzania, some witch doctors claim that albino body parts have special powers.
Voice 2
Witch doctors do have a powerful influence on many people – particularly in country areas. And so many people there do believe that albino body parts have special powers. Fishermen tie albino hair into their fishing nets. They believe this may improve their chances of catching fish. Other people buy albino body parts – believing they may bring them good luck. It is no surprise that albinos and their families are worried.
Voice 1
In July 2008, a Tanzanian reporter from the BBC visited ten witch doctors in Tanzania. The reporter’s name is Vicky Ntetma. Vicky did not tell them her real job. Instead, she told them that she was a business woman. Vicky told them she wanted to get rich, and asked for help. Then secretly, Vicky recorded their answers. In one recording, a witch doctor tells Vicky to get albino body parts – hands, legs, hair. He tells her that there are albinos in the area – and people who would help with the killings.
Voice 2
Police in Tanzania say they are working to find the albino killers. But, they say this is difficult because local people are not willing to give information. Local people fear the witch doctors. One policeman said:
Voice 4
‘We try to persuade the community to bring information to the police. They know the people who are committing the crime. They know they live with them. Why do they continue to live with these criminals?’
Voice 2
There is a witch doctors’ society in the Tanzanian city of Mwanza. The head of the society said:
Voice 5
‘Few members have been involved with these inhuman activities. One member was accused of helping a few killings. When we found out, we removed him from our society.’
Voice 1
Most members of Tanzania’s parliament are elected. But the president chooses a small number of special members of parliament. One person he chose is Al Shaymaa Kwegyir. Ms Kwegyir is a hard–working woman. She is forty–eight [48] years old. And she is an albino. Ms Kwegyir explains her own battle as a child;
Voice 6
‘When I was at first school, people used to laugh at me. Some people did not like to touch me. They said it would make their skin turn the same colour as mine. People used to insult me on the road on the way to school. Crowds of children would run after me shouting bad words.’
Voice 2
Ms Kwegyir hopes to educate people about albinism. She wants to see an end to people’s bad behaviour toward them. She is also researching the exact number of albino people in the country. She wants to make sure they get health treatment, and an education.
Abdullar Omar works with the Albino Society in Tanzania. He was pleased that the president chose Ms Kwegyir. He said:
Voice 7
‘This has shown the Tanzanian people that Albinos are just like other human beings. They can hold any position in government. They can do the same thing that others do.’
Voice 2
It is hard for some people to imagine change in a whole belief system – when it has been there for so long. However, Ms Kwegyir said:
Voice 6
‘I know one day the killings will stop. I know that God will help us because we are human beings – and also because we are praying. God will help us because these people are innocent.’
Voice 1
The very fact that Ms Kwegyir is a Member of Parliament is positive. And this sends a message to people in other African countries too. This message is clear. The way a person looks does not make that person any more – or less – human. Through education, facts can then begin to control behaviour, instead of fear. Only then will albinos like Yusuph Malago be able to live freely.
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