Musician with albinism says coronavirus raises risk of attack
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus pandemic has left people with albinism in fear of attack and murder in parts of Africa where their body parts are used for lucky charms, a Zambian musician with the condition has said. John Chiti, 35, said there had already been one murder in Zambia since the virus emerged […]
Spotlight gives hope to Africa’s hunted albinos
Thomson Reuters Foundation Increased funding and awareness campaigns are helping to slow the rates of violence against people with albinism in Africa, according to officials and campaigners. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism – a lack of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes – are attacked for their body parts which […]
People with albinism protest in Malawi as attacks spike ahead of polls
Thomson Reuters Foundation Protesters took to the streets in Malawi’s capital on Wednesday to demand the government step up protection for people with albinism following a spate of murders and attacks driven by an underground trade in their body parts for black magic. The march comes amid fears that people with albinism could be at […]
Conquering Kilimanjaro: Women with albinism set to scale Africa’s highest peak
Thomson Reuters Foundation Six African women with albinism who have overcome stigma, abuse, rape and machete attacks are set to scale the continent’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, to dispel the negative perceptions surrounding people with the rare skin condition. The novice climbers – aged between 26 to 35 years old and from Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, […]
Malawians with albinism to fight elections in bid to stop killings
Thomson Reuters Foundation Six people with albinism are to contest elections in Malawi next year in a bid to tackle widespread stigma and halt relentless attacks fuelled by a trade in their body parts for witchcraft. Overstone Kondowe, head of the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi (APAM), said it was vital to get […]
Murder of man with albinism in Malawi sparks call for death penalty
Thomson Reuters Foundation The latest murder of a man with albinism in Malawi – the 22nd in four years – has sparked calls for their killers to be executed to deter a wave of attacks in the poor southern African nation. The dismembered corpse of 22-year-old McDonald Masambuka was found buried in southern Malawi several […]