In Tanzania, East Africa, there is a deadly rumor that children born without pigment offer some kind of special magic. Some even think through the removal of their limbs or taking of their blood one will be endowed with good luck and fortune; likewise, this belief has led to the murders of dozens of persons with albinism (referred to as albinos). Those who escape death are then sentenced to the disability of a missing limb for the remainder of their lives, not to mention the stark stigma of their appearance. Because of this, those with the genetic disorder (which effects eyesight and skin color) live their lives in constant danger and fear. The Tanzanian attackers see no wrong in the killing of persons with albinism because in Swahili the word for this condition is Zeru meaning “vapor” or “ghost”; therefore, they believe they cannot die seeing as how they are already spirits. Violence against those with albinism has been going on for years but erupted into a public issue in 2008 when reporters became internationally aware. To fight the “deadly prejudices” advocacy organizations in Tanzania and around the world (i.e. Under the Same Sun) argue awareness is the remedy and key to prevention.
From a sociological viewpoint, we’ve talked about the creation of “in groups” and “out groups” being a reason people of the same background attack each other. Furthermore, Africa has a long history of alienating a small certain group of people in hopes of extinguishing them because they do not fit their protocol of what a real African man or woman embodies. Africa’s morals, beliefs, attitudes (norms) are traditionally extremely rigid and inflexible compared to liberal Western or European countries. There is no difference between formal and informal norms; it seems as though every deviance is equally heavily sanctioned. Dr. Sills talked about how countries, in particular poor nations, outcast and perform hate crimes against small groups in distraction of larger issues such as extreme poverty and disease.
Rayna Tyson. March 8, 2013. 12:51 pm.
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