Albinism is people with a rare skin condition which is the congenital absence of pigmentation in the eyes and skin and hair. The population of Tanzania is close to 42 million people and there are over 200,000 albinos, the highest rate in any part of the world. When the parents carry the recessive gene for albinism, there’s a 25% chance the kid will born with it.

Albinos are considered to be spirits, black ghosts with white skins. Albinos don’t have human blood some say or that they’re not a real person because they don’t die, they simply vanish. Which is the main reason why in Tanzania, they hunt and kill people with Albinism. They are usually victims of witchcraft and the gruesome body parts trafficking. This is mostly because most of the general population believes that Albinos aren’t human. Traditional healing is a way of life n Tanzania. Witch doctors are believed o be healer, doctor and priest among most people. Some witch doctors kill Albinos to use their bones to create strong potions or buy the albino bones from the hunters. This of course is prohibited by the government and if caught with Albino bones you’ll be prosecuted and jailed.

Even though killing Albinos is prohibited by law, hunters still do. They study their prey for a period of time, become their friend and when they have a chance, they kill the Albino. They do this horrific act regardless the age (could be a child) and leaving the corpse without limbs.

Most of the attacks happen in the North West part of Tanzania. Those who are lucky enough to not have been killed when captured are alive today without either their arms or legs or both. The Albino killers sell these limbs close to two thousand dollars each. A full set of limbs with other body parts may cost as much as 75,000 dollars. They sometimes also raid the Albinos graves for their bones which is why most graves are completely reinforced with concrete.

Their life expectancy is just 30 years of age which is far below the general population. Vision problems and protecting the skin are the most common health problems for people with albinism. The lack of pigment makes eyes and skin very sensitive to sunlight and the skin is subjected to burning. In Tanzania the Albinos are likely to die from skin cancer. Vision problems vary, some people simply need glasses to correct their vision, but others need surgery. Surgery is something that most in Tanzania can’t really afford therefore need consistent and continuing eye care.

To some extent it might be weird for two black parents to be surprised of having a super white son or daughter. However in Tanzania, it actually shouldn’t since it is common. Then again, they have their culture and beliefs which also doesn’t justify the killing of another human being. They should prosecute the criminals with the penalty of death to scare off the rest of them and make them think twice before killing another Albino.

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