Sunday 8 May 2016

I purchased a newspaper today for its interesting headline, which was 17 albinos killed.  I had heard it rumoured that Malawis did not like albinos recently when discussion had arisen about a local albino beggar who was very aggressive to a female staff member, telling her she was too old to be unmarried (marriage of a female can still take place as 12 years of age in Malawi rural areas).  The newspaper heading was quite a shock though, as I hadn’t realised this was such a major issue.  However, in addition to the murders, assaults and kidnaps by the so called albino hunters, 28 graves of albinos have been tampered with. Here is an extract from the paper, quotes from Peter Mutharika, President of Malawi:

“It is disheartening to hear of the rising incidences of abductions, killings and exhumations of the remains of people with albinism” bemoaned Mutharika, during an audience he had with people living with albinism in Lilongwe on Thursday.  He further lamented:  “Two months ago, we were talking of about 50 cases. Today, we have 66 cases recorded, for abductions, trespassing of graveyards, being found with human bones, suicide, assault of bodily harm, conduct likely to cause breach of the peace, and killings of people with albinism”   The Sunday Times (Malawi), Analysis, May 8 2016 p3

Later at a café I was discussing this with two Malawi males, Happy George and Anthony Thawali, whose eyes lit up with enthusiasm when they saw the headline in my newspaper.  So enthusiastic were they that they actually started taking photos of the front page on their mobile phones (the Malawis ALL seem to have mobiles).  It took me a while to realise that the boy’s reaction to the headline was because they were excited at the thought of the money being made by the albino hunters.  Happy George told enthusiastically about a friend of theirs who complained that he was always very tired in the mornings and throughout the day.  He went to a witchdoctor who told him that at night demons were playing with his body, making it dance in the air and do other wild things while he slept.  This was why he was so tired the next day.  The witchdoctor gave the man a piece of albino bones with some herbs to put underneath his pillow at night.  He did so, and has had no more difficulty with daytime tiredness.  Happy George explained that the demons were unable to find this man in his bed because the witchcraft protected it, so all the demons saw was a river.  The boys nodded with satisfaction at the effectiveness of the witchdoctors, and I sat dumbfounded for a bit, not sure where to go next with the conversation. Then I asked them where the witchdoctors come from, and how they learnt their craft.  The boys explained that they are children from normal families but learn the language of witches very young, when no one is looking.  Then when they are older they practise their art as witches, and (if they are not caught and killed for being witches) later turn to the good side, as it were, and become witchdoctors, fighting the bad magic of the witches and demons.  They boys left after telling me that the bones of an albino could be sold for 6 million kwacha (about £60,000 – a phenomenal sum to a local who probably early only about 1 dollar a day).

After the boys left I continued to browse the newspaper further. A male teenager with albinism went to watch a football match on 24^th April and went missing. His body was found on 2 May with hands and feet chopped off.  A 30 year old female went missing 30 April and was found with breasts missing and eyes gouged out. A two-year old girl disappeared on 3 April and on 15^th April her skull, teeth and clothes were found in a neighbouring village.  The stories go on and on.  Malawi is a small country, and all of these incidents and many more have taken place close to Lilongwe.

The United Nations human rights experts as well as Amnesty International have made representations to the Malawi government on behalf of the albinos.  The Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) executive director Boniface Massah  has referred to further superstitions regarding albinos including that having sex with someone with albinism will cure HIV, and possessing body parts of someone with albinism with bring sudden riches.

This last comment may explain the reason the killing of albinos has suddenly become a major issues.  Large grants given to Malawi for relief of poverty and hunger of those in greatest need have, needless to say, been stolen by members of the government.  Additionally, crops have failed for the last few years, so that the poorest are now in a desperate condition. 

Witchcraft remains an issue in Africa, and has been discussed at the Sanctuary in relation to some of the animals here.  Malawi’s fear owls because of the way their heads turn 180 degrees.  And chameleons because of the way they changes colour.  Local staff working on the construction of a new aviary have voiced concerns because they are working next to an owl enclosure, and they are convinced it has supernatural powers.  It’s hard to believe as I write this that such issues still exist in this day and age, but they are very real and very challenging here.