Albinism

And I'm not talking about myself, though I have been told by some Africans that I am African on the inside.

Meeting a few representatives from the Society for the Albinos opened my eyes to a number of issues going on throughout the continent. Basically, albinos are not only often ostracized, but they are also being killed by middlemen of witch doctors, who believe certain albino body parts can be mixed into potions and make people rich.

I didn't know at the time, but I went on to work with a lot more people with albinism years later in Tanzania, and met some of the people I only heard about during this encounter in Ghana. It became really real. It makes me incredibly angry but it's also just sad. Some of the best people I've even known, though, and I'm grateful.



Here is a video about social shunning of albinos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKn3dNAJ7j8

And here are a few articles about the killings:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7518049.stm
http://www.modernghana.com/news/207231/1/albino-killing-craze-stares-at-ghana.html