African albinos are being ‘hunted down like animals’ as greed for money and influence drives families to turn on their own loved ones in a trade allegedly fuelled by some of the country’s most powerful people.
It is believed albino body parts will bring a person wealth, or luck – and for that, people are willing to pay as much as $3,000 or $4,000 for a limb, or as much as $75,000 – about £50,000 – for the ‘full set’, a whole body.
People with albinism are regularly attacked by people who chop their limbs off – an act which either leaves them severely mutilated, or dead.
The past decade has brought news of an atrocity, mainly from Africa: the slaughter of albino humans for their body parts for use in ritual magic. Bodies are usually found headless and missing one or more limbs, but sometimes are completely torn apart, missing even internal organs.
The reason is, of course, pure unadulterated pseudoscience; we can confidently state that there is no magical benefit to the use of albino body parts, and that’s to say nothing of the abhorrence of murder for any purpose.
Clearly there are some fictional beliefs out there concerning the nature of people with albinism, and today we’re going to look at some more of these beliefs that might be held even by those of us who are not into black magic.
But the use of their body parts in ritual magic is the elephant in the room. Arms and legs are the witch doctors’ preferred bits. They are used as charms and talismans, and other body parts also have magical value, such as hair being sewn into fishing nets to bring good luck.
About five albinos per year are reported to be killed in Africa for their body parts, but the total is probably larger. Perhaps even more frightening is that about the same number of people survive similar attacks, suddenly accosted by men with machetes who hack off the valuable limbs and abscond, with little care for the still-living victim they leave behind.
It’s quick cash; in Tanzania, a single limb can be worth up to four times the average annual income. A complete albino body, chopped apart and sold bit by bit, can be worth more five times what the average Tanzanian can expect to earn in a lifetime; a figure often given in the press is $75,000. Fortunately, over the past few years, witch doctors and attackers have been prosecuted and some have been executed, leading to a reduction in these attacks.
It is the most extreme form of albinism, called oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1 or tyrosinase-related albinism), that results in white hair, white skin, and red eyes. Most of the myths surrounding albinos stem from OCA1 individuals, and are based on superstition and come mainly from African countries. These myths include:
- Albinism is the result of a curse.
- Raping an albino woman will cure a man of AIDS (this myth is most prevalent in Zimbabwe).
- Albinos can read the future.
- Albinism is contagious.
And of course:
- Albino body parts are useful talismans in black magic.
Albinism brings traits that are often seen as desirable in white populations: light or blue eyes, light skin, white or very blond hair. It can even be seen as something of a physical ideal to some. Let’s hope that this same appreciation for an amazing and unusual look continues to spread, especially among groups who see it as a defect or as some supernatural curse.
