"Albinicide" Feature story

               My time in Tanzania didn't just take me to a variety of different places, it took to a variety of different people. It was while my swahili intensive group and I were visiting an all women co-op that I met an albino woman by the name of Martha Mganga. This woman told us about the killings of albino people in East Africa. After hearing about this horriffic phenomenon and being touched by her personal story of struggle, I wanted to lend my hand to the awareness of the of The East African albino. Here is the feature story I did on what has been coined as "Albinicide" after hearing her testimony:

 “ People hold pieces of albino anatomy like we hold rabbit feet," Kelly Askew, director of African studies at the University of Michigan explained.

Many may ask what kind of luck harvesting albino anatomy could bring? “This luck is relative to natural resources,” Mrs. Askew continued, “this marks the end of socialism and the movement into a free market and capitalism in East Africa.”

This East African phenomenon is termed “Albinicide” by U of M Grad student, Menan Jangu. Albinicide is perpetuated by competition between local and international businesses that race for natural resources.[1] 

 Albinicide is “a symptom of structural, socioeconomic and cultural forms that make people with albinism vulnerable to physical violence” as defined by Jangu. Because local businesses, such as fishermen and miners popular to the western side of East Africa, can’t compete with the cutting edge technologies of international businesses in the recently introduced free market, they seek albino anatomy to level the playing field.

Jangu explains, myths perpetrated by “mgangas,” people who generally practice traditional medicine, warrant the harvest of albino limbs, blood, and organs promising luck and wealth obtained from the help of charms and potions. However, there is a discourse surrounding albino killings which conflates witchcraft with traditional healing.

The role of mgangas, Mrs.Askew elaborates, in East African Culture is historically helpful, supplementing the paucity of health care systems which often struggle to provide to an overwhelming populace with herbal medicine.

  However, “Utapeli,” con men or racketeers who claim to practice medicine are often the perpetrators of these rumors which could explain the circulation of such rumors and myths

To complicate matters; Gov’t aid is limited in a variety of ways, making support difficult.

 “There is an excessive influx of people from rural to urban areas in search of better life opportunities. Oftentimes, a typical African city's infrastructures and amenities, such as water supply, electricity, hospitals, police services, fire services, residential homes, jobs, etc. can hardly meet the rate of demand for their services” Victor Okafor, head of Africology & African American Studies at Eastern Michigan said.

“For instance, a water supply system built for a projected population of 250,000 may end up being depended upon by a city that may have reached an explosive population size of perhaps 500,000 or more” Okafor Continued.

Many East African Laws limit aid to albinos further; “In order to convict a person practicing witchcraft, an accused individual must be apprehended at the crime scene. This rarely happens because witchcraft acts are undertaken in secrecy.” Furthermore, “Witchcraft is not clearly defined in the Witchcraft Act and the Act does not account for actions related to witchcraft” Jangu explained

                 In light of the problematic nature of Albonicide on the basis of Government aid, independent groups have surfaced in defense of the albino populations of East African Countries.

Groups and charities such as “Under the Same Sun” act as havens for albinos. Groups like Asante Marimau provide skin care products, clothes, and shelter for albinos who more often than not are too poor to provide any of these life-saving amenities for themselves.

The plea of the East African Albino population is gaining international attention. Raising awareness of the dire situation albinos face has become the goal of many international organizations.

Projects such as “Endagered White,” an exhibition by Yrneh Gabon Brown, have surfaced in order to combat the social ignorance.
“More than 100 albinos have been violently attacked in Tanzania from 2006 to June of this year — 71 died and 31 escaped, though most were maimed,” reported John Burnett of NPR in 2012. However, it is likely the percentage of attacks that are reported pale in comparison to the number of actual attacks.

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Feature story on the internationally acknowledged Zanzibari Farouque Abdella

While the Swahili Intesnsive group and I were touring Zanzibar one afternoon I had the luck to run into one of the Islands historic figures Farouque Abdella known for exposing the world to

East African fashion and design. The following is the feauture story I wrote on him after I had the pleasure of Interviewing the "2nd wonder of  Zanizibar" ( the first being a museum actually named the House of Wonders)

My interview with Farouque courtesy of  Mrs. Askew

Looking down on the Indian Ocean as the sun rose from its depths, Farouque Abdela, the self-proclaimed   “2^nd wonder of Zanzibar” leered from his sun glasses atop the porch of his shop in Zanzibar. As if he was turning back time himself, the fourth generation tailor from a family of the like lit a cigarette exuberating the pride that comes from pioneers of innovation.

 His method of using recycled items such as sacks, plastic bags, and other litter as material for his designs serves as a precursor for Abdela’s innovative methodology.

                Beyond Abdella’s “green” approach, His work takes a spin on Masai and Egyptian culture and design. ”I believe there is a link between the Masai and the Eqyptians” Abdella explained. His work is heavily influenced by these two cultures.

                “Their physical features and style of dress captivates me, but it’s also about preserving the culture, I admire the Masai Tribes’ preservation of their culture through-out the era of colonism”. However, Abdela himself has been involved, all his life, in preserving the initially neglected fashion and culture of East Africa.

As a kid Abdela was kept busy with tailoring tasks, he explained. Being born into tailoring he recalls how he and his three brothers were called upon to help their father in his tailoring “If we wanted something from our father we worked for it” Abdella said as he put out his cigarette.

 During the Zanzibari revolution in 1964 his family left. It was then Abdella enrolled into the London College of fashion.

In his college years Farouque was introduced to people of many different back-rounds and life styles.

                 “Through this exposure to such varieties of people I gained a diversified perspective” Abdella explained, as children ran up his porch holding out their hands to him, Farouque pulled out a few pieces of hard candy and handed it to them one by one before they jetted off. It was also in school that Abdela made many of the relationships that would aid him in his later endeavors.

After graduating Farouque enveloped himself in his work and his efforts did not go unnoticed, in 1999 he was invited to return to Zanzibar for its film festival to do a fashion show.

While in Zanzibar Abdela was also called upon to aid the Zanzibar Association of People Living with AIDS (ZAPLA). It was in this group that his networking allowed him to create funding and infrastructure Abdella explained. “This was the beginning of my group coordinating and my most successful charity event, among a few others”

More recently Abdela‘s involves himself with Albinism awareness, down syndrome charity, and cleaning up the environment “The bad, you can turn into good” He said.

At the Height of his career Abdela was requested to showcase his work at the Paris Fashion week

“I was practically hysterical” He recalls, “I wanted to make an impact” this was the debut of his Masai design. It was here his work was acknowledged by Princess Diana. “She was a normal person like anyone else” he explained.

Despite the attention and fame that his work created, Abdela experienced his first taste of the racial divide of these times which separated the white designers from him. “I received significantly less coverage than white designers” he explained. Regardless of this sobering experience Abdela recalls his Paris debut as “A life changing experience” this was the moment that changed his self-concept he reminisced as he pulled on his cigarette.

“Afterwards I sought to destroy stigmas, restore self-worth, and individual thinking in my community through my projects and works” Abdella concluded. His works run parallel to the underpinnings of equality and a universal celebration of difference.