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| Columnists | | The guarantee of Albinos’ right to life is under threat | G. Madaraka Nyerere
Daily News; Saturday,December 20, 2008 @21:15
| A few days ago I stopped at a roadblock and a police officer asked me to give a ride to an albino woman who was taking her child to a clinic. At a time when albinos are hunted down, maimed and killed for their body parts, I felt I needed some reassurance.
Although she was accompanied by another woman, I asked, “Will she trust me?” He answered, “Of course,” but as I drove off with the two women I suspected he took down my car registration number, just in case I became possessed by the devil or his agent.
An estimated 50 albinos died last year from attacks by agents of witchdoctors who only recently decided that the arms, legs, hair, genitals and some internal organs of albinos strengthen their remedies for enriching their clients. Some fishermen reportedly believe that fish are attracted by the hair of albinos attached to fishing nets.
Small scale miners are also said to believe that the use of albino parts or potions made from albino parts increases yields from mining. It is a relief that the large scale mining companies do not employ witchdoctors otherwise the Tanzanian albino population, estimated to be over 300,000 would have been decimated by now.
Under these circumstances, I would normally have asked the women several questions to determine whether she has been affected, but I was worried my curiosity could turn a nervous woman into a terrified one and with good reason. In one reported incident a man near Lake Tanganyika attempted to sell her albino wife for 3.6m/-.
In another case another man killed his albino child to profit from this cruel but supposedly lucrative trade. If close family members can collude to kill their own, then there could be even less hesitation for an inquisitive grey haired stranger driving alone in a car. Along the way during the 5-minute drive between the police barrier and the road sign to the clinic,
I noticed many other women walking with their children on their backs and I had a feeling that before attacking and killing albinos became lucrative trade for a some Tanzanians, the women seated behind me probably walked this same road to clinic. Today, she seeks the intervention of a police officer to guarantee safe passage to the clinic.
Despite efforts by police that have included more than 170 arrests of suspects, it is unlikely that these criminal attacks will end soon. Some of the attackers seem to be driven not only by a motive to earn a fortune, but seem also to be possessed by a cruelty that defies comprehension.
The case of a child whose feet were hacked off and her throat slit and whose blood was drunk by the attackers defines the absolute terror that albinos face in their country of birth. Our constitution has noble words purporting to guarantee certain basic rights to its citizens, but none of these rights could be more important than the right to life.
Through a combination of both lack of resources and a serious degeneration of moral values, Tanzanians society is failing miserably to guarantee a section of its citizens the right to live. A chief of the Sukuma tribe who is participating in a meeting at the Bujora Cultural Centre near Mwanza to deliberate on matters that include the deterioration of moral values among the younger generation, as well as the attack on albinos, blames foreigners for the albino attacks.
He said in the past albinos co-existed peacefully within Sukuma society. The meeting also involved traditional healers. The activity of some healers strands the border between healing and witchcraft and consequently, fuels the demand for body parts. Despite the constitutional guarantees available on paper, it is neither practical nor possible to protect every albino in Tanzania.
It could be easier if the albino community is brought together in specified central locations country-wide to provide the necessary protection, but that in itself, while guaranteeing some measure of safety, is degrading to a human being. A search for solutions only brings up less than favourable situations for the victims.
The only solution that can allow albinos to pursue a life without the constant death threat is to relocate the more vulnerable cases to countries where that security can be guaranteed. It is normal for citizens from war-torn countries and those experiencing civil strife to seek asylum in other countries, but I see Tanzanian albinos falling under a threat that is perhaps worse.
In military conflicts you can avoid the battleground and increase your chances of survival, but Tanzanian albinos face a potential threat from the general public that can include parents, spouses and neighbours. Regardless of who, what or why these criminal acts have occurred, the constant risk of death remains and any human being should at least have the right to seek refuge anywhere it can be found.
As politicians, sociologists and the general public continue to deliberate on this matter and as police continue to hunt down the culprits, another victim might fall prey to an assailant’s panga tonight. Efforts to hunt down the culprits should go hand in hand with securing the safety of the victims, whether in Tanzania or abroad. Let’s admit failure if it can save lives. madarakanyerere@yahoo.com | | | | |
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