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PRESENTER: The music of Salif Keita, musician from Mali who has become an activist for albinos like himself. Albinos in Africa, already victims of discrimination, have over the last two years been killed for their body parts. Andrei Engstrand-Neacsu of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent told UN Radio's Dianne Penn the agency's report, Through Albino Eyes, details how criminals have seized an opportunity to satisfy anyone foolish enough to believe that magic potions can make them powerful, rich or find love.
ENGSTRAND-NEACSU: We have been surprised like the rest of the world by these crimes. We see them connected to an economic boom in the Lake Victoria area particularly in gold mining and the fishing industry. But at the same time, the prices can go from $200 for what is called in the jargon, "an albino kit", that is the limbs, the nose, tongue, or the ears or hair, the genitals. The price can go as high up as $75,000.
DIANNE PENN: The report also details some of the horrific incidences in order to get this albino kit, to get these body parts. There's no discrimination against who gets killed--children, anybody; is this correct?
ENGSTRAND-NEACSU: That is correct. But I think as always as in any extreme situation, the criminals will go for the weakest and, therefore, the children will be the primary target. And this is why most of the survivors or those who run into hiding and make their way to the Red Cross shelters are children and teenagers.
DIANNE PENN: Do we know approximately how many albinos are in Tanzania and Burundi?
ENGSTRAND-NEACSU: In Tanzania, the official number of albinos who have voluntarily registered with the authorities is 7,000. In Burundi the estimated minimum figure for albinos is 1,000. People think that these numbers are underestimated. Those who found shelter with the sanctuaries established by the police and serviced by the Red Cross are about 300, in schools in Tanzania and Burundi.
But again, these statistics are very weak. We have not focused on counting or making a census. But, it is important to find these people, and it is important for them to feel confident and safe coming to places where they can be assisted.
DIANNE PENN: Even though it has been difficult for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to reach the albinos, you are taking action on this issue. Could you tell us about some of the steps and work that you're doing in conjunction with the governments in these two Great Lakes region countries?
ENGSTRAND-NEACSU: As a first step we are through the Tanzanian and Burundi Red Cross providing support to these children and teenagers who have found shelter in the sanctuaries and special schools in the two countries. There, we provide food, we provide clothing, we provide basic sunscreen, for example, and basic education. The needs are far higher, and the conditions of living of these children in the sanctuaries are inappropriate to say the least. Of course, we need to do more, and we are calling on anyone who is touched by the plight of these people to come forward and join efforts with us. We've been in situations where the volunteers of Tanzania Red Cross have donated their own per diem to kick start actions to assist albinos in need. The second part of the action is more longer term, and it's intended to change the minds of people in the communities. It's discussions with community members to clarify what albinism means and try to reduce discrimination in order for the albinos to be able to return to their villages and continue to live in peace there. Obviously, although there are criminal hunters roaming the areas around Lake Victoria, there are also many people, Black Africans, who are standing up and who are literally fighting to protect their albino children or brothers or family members.
What is important to underline, I think, is also that besides the threat of crimes against albinos, there is another threat to their lives and that is posed by their health condition and often the ignorance related to it within their families. Ninety-eight per cent of the albinos in Dar es Salaam die by the age of 40 of skin cancer. And that is simply because they are sent out by their parents to labor the land and when they complain that it's too hot they're told to get used to the weather. So by the age of 40, they have developed forms of skin cancer that are fatal. And this can be prevented by very simple health education, by the provision of protective clothing, by the provision of hats and sun block.
Then, they have special needs in education, where, again, discrimination is present. In a normal school, an albino child will be sent to the back of the classroom, because the teacher will be afraid to touch him or her or the other children will not want to be seated near an albino child, and the lack of melanin and their health condition is also affecting their sight. So, they will not be able to see what is on the blackboard or because of their very poor sight, they would have trouble reading normal books. So, the provision of Braille books or typewriters would be just one of the small steps that would help the albino children to be educated and shape a better life for themselves.
(duration: 5'44")
