The horror of thousands of doomed people: albino blacks are killed for money. Who practices ritual killings of children and albinos in Africa and why?

An albino family in South Africa has spoken out about how each of them faces prejudice and discrimination every day. The Thiongose ​​family decided to talk about their lives after a wave of murders of albino children swept across the country, whom local sorcerers call “cursed”, and from their remains they make amulets that bring good luck.

The Thiongose ​​family of albinos from South Africa decided to tell their story after a wave of murders of people with this genetic disorder swept across Africa. All members of the Thiongose ​​family are albinos, and family head Temba, 54, says they face prejudice and attacks every day.

Themba Tiongese, his wife Nokwanda, 35, and their three children Abongile, 15, Siposetu, 9, and Linamandla, 7, live in a small community in South Africa. They believe the country's government should protect albinos, especially after a recent spate of brutal attacks against them.

"If in maternity hospital an albino child is born, no one comes to the mother and tells her what to do and how to care for him,” says Temba. “The only thing the midwife asks is, “How many more people like you do you have in your family?”

Life is not easy for albinos in Africa - primarily because of the prejudices of their neighbors, skillfully fueled by local sorcerers. They call people with albinism “cursed,” while willingly buying their corpses to make amulets from body parts that bring good luck and prosperity. They are often killed out of hatred or for the sake of profit.

Thus, this year, in the province of Mpumalanga in the east of South Africa, a 15-month-old baby and a 13-year-old girl were kidnapped by sorcerers-“healers” and brutally killed. At the same time, albinos have no one to turn to for protection.

“Albinism is not a curse,” says charity worker Ntando Gweleza, also an albino. “But many people, seeing us, turn away and spit in disgust.” When I went to interview with a potential employer, as soon as I walked into the room, I was immediately asked if I had indeed sent my resume. And then they asked again twice.”

Albinos in South Africa have shared their views during Albino Anti-Discrimination Month. The organizers of the event believe that only knowledge can awaken compassion in people, suppressing aggression and hostility.

Eduardo was born and raised in a fishing village on Lake Tanganyika. He was the fifth child in an ordinary family of Tanzanian fishermen who make their living in lake waters. He himself, like his parents and brothers and sisters, was a typical Tanzanian - dark-skinned with black curly hair.

When the time came, he married his neighbor, the pretty black girl Maria, whom he had his eye on as a teenager. The young people settled in a separate hut. Eduardo adored his wife and was over the moon when she became pregnant.

The family idyll ended as soon as Eduardo looked at the newborn - a white-skinned girl with whitish fluff on her head. The husband, in a rage, showered his wife with a hail of reproaches, accusing her of all mortal sins: she supposedly got involved with evil spirits, a family curse hangs over her and the gods sent her a “zera” (“ghost” in the local dialect) as punishment. To top off the scandal, Eduardo brutally beat Maria and kicked her and her child out of the house, depriving her of all help and support.

The unfortunate woman was not accepted by her parents either. Only the 70-year-old grandfather, who lived in a squalid shack on the outskirts of the village, took pity on her.

Maria had a hard time. The villagers shied away from her as if she were plagued. She somehow earned food for herself and her daughter Louise through hard daily work, and the baby remained under the supervision of her grandfather all day.

When Luisa was eight months old, Eduardo and three accomplices burst into the hut. Everyone was very drunk. In front of the grandfather's eyes, numb with horror, they cut the girl's throat, drained her blood into a placed wineskin, tore out her tongue, cut off her arms and legs...

Further dismemberment was prevented by the terrible scream of Maria returning from work. The woman lost consciousness. And the criminals, grabbing a wineskin with blood and cut off body parts, rushed away.

Louise's remains were buried right there, in the hut, so that other albino hunters would not encroach on her bones.

Africa is hell for the “colorless”

Unfortunately, this tragedy is typical for the countries of South- East Africa. The percentage here is abnormally high albinos- people with congenital absence of pigment in the skin, hair and iris of the eyes. If in Europe and North America There is one albino per 20 thousand people, then in Tanzania this ratio is 1:1400, in Kenya and Burundi - 1:5000.

It is believed that this disease is caused by a genetic defect leading to the absence (or blockade) of the enzyme tyrosinase, which is necessary for the normal synthesis of melanin, a special substance on which the color of tissues depends. In addition, scientists claim that an albino child can only be born when both parents have the gene for this disorder.

In Tanzania and other East African countries, albinos are outcasts and forced to marry only among themselves. This could be considered the main reason for the high proportion of albinos among the local population, because such families usually produce white children.

However, they are often born into families where there has not been a single albino in the entire chain of generations. So science throws up its hands, unable to explain the reason for such a high percentage of albinism in these territories.

Africa is a living hell for albinos. The burning rays of the tropical sun are destructive to them. Their skin and eyes are especially susceptible to ultraviolet radiation, are practically not protected from it, and therefore by the age of 16-18, albinos lose 60-80% of their vision, and by the age of 30 they have a 60% chance of developing skin cancer. 90% of these people do not live to be 50 years old. And in addition to all the misfortunes, a real hunt has been announced for them.

Crime and Punishment

Why didn't their white-skinned brothers please the black Africans? Not knowing the true nature of this genetic deviation, local residents, most of whom cannot read or write, explain the appearance of an albino child as a generational curse, damage, or God's punishment for the sins of the parents.

For example, the aborigines believe that the father of such a child can only be evil spirit. One of the albinos says this:

I am not from the human world. I am part of the spirit world.

According to another version, prevailing in African society, albinos are born because their parents had sex during the period when the woman was menstruating, or during the full moon, or it happened in broad daylight, which is strictly prohibited by local rules.

And therefore, some village sorcerers, who still enjoy great authority among the population, consider albinos cursed, bringing the evil of the other world, and therefore subject to destruction. Others, on the contrary, claim that the flesh of albinos is healing, there is something in their blood and hair that brings wealth, power and happiness.

And that’s why healers and sorcerers pay hunters for albinos a lot of money. They know that if you sell the victim's body in parts - tongue, eyes, limbs, etc. - you can earn up to 100 thousand dollars. This is what an average Tanzanian earns over 25-50 years. Therefore, it is not surprising that the “colorless” are mercilessly exterminated.

Since 2006, about a hundred albinos have died in Tanzania. They were killed, dismembered and sold to sorcerers.

Until recently, hunting for albinos was almost not punished - the system of mutual responsibility led to the fact that the community basically declared them “missing”. This gave rise to a sense of impunity in the hunters, and they behaved like real bloodthirsty savages.

So, in Burundi they broke into the clay hut of the widow Genorose Nizigiyimana. The hunters grabbed her six-year-old son and dragged her outside.

Right in the yard, having shot the boy, the hunters skinned him in front of his hysterical mother. Having taken the “most valuable” things: tongue, penis, arms and legs, the bandits abandoned the mutilated corpse of the child and disappeared. None of the local residents helped the mother, since almost everyone considered her cursed.

Sometimes the killing of the victim occurs with the consent of relatives. Thus, Salma, the mother of a seven-year-old girl, was ordered by her family to dress her daughter in black and leave her alone in the hut. The woman, suspecting nothing, did as she was told. But I decided to hide and see what would happen next.

A few hours later, unknown men entered the hut. They used a machete to cut off the girl's legs. Then they cut her throat, drained the blood into a vessel and drank it.

The list of such atrocities is very long. But the Western public, outraged by the brutal practices in Tanzania, forced local authorities to take up the search and punishment of cannibals.

In 2009, the first trial of the killers of an albino took place in Tanzania. Three men killed a 14-year-old boy and cut him into pieces to sell to sorcerers. The court sentenced the villains to death penalty by hanging.

Eduardo, whose crime was described at the beginning of this article, was subjected to the same punishment. His accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment.

After several such ships, the hunters became more inventive. They stopped killing albinos, and just maimed them by cutting off their limbs. Now, even if the criminals are caught, they will be able to avoid the death penalty, and will receive only 5-8 years for grievous bodily harm. Over the past three years, almost a hundred albinos have had their arms or legs cut off, and three have died as a result of such “operations.”

African Albino Foundation, funded by Europeans, the Red Cross and other Western public organizations They are trying to provide all possible assistance to these unfortunate people. They are placed in special boarding schools, they are given medicines, sunscreens, dark glasses...

In these establishments, for high walls and under reliable guard, the “colorless” are isolated from danger outside world. But in Tanzania alone there are about 370 thousand albinos. You can’t hide everyone in boarding schools.

Nikolay VALENTINOV, magazine "Secrets of the 20th Century" No. 13, 2017

It just shocked me! Find out why being born an albino in Africa is so dangerous and what makes people so cruel to them. Incredible facts that give you goosebumps...

Today we would like to talk about a topic that is rarely discussed. You may have seen albinos several times. Maybe you even know one of them closely. As is known, albinism is a genetic disease characterized by the absence of melanin pigment in the skin, hair and iris of the eyes.

Exercise, stick to proper nutrition And !

Both people and animals are susceptible to this disease. The lack of melanin also causes other serious skin diseases, because in this case the skin is too sensitive to the effects of sunlight.

Being an albino is not at all easy, but it is even worse to suffer from this disease in countries with a hot climate. For example, in Africa.

Today we will tell you the story of a young African model, Thando Hopa. It was thanks to her that the world became aware of the monstrous difficulties that albinos are forced to face.

History of the Tando Hopa model

Tando Hopa is 24 years old. This girl is not only a model, but also a lawyer. She considers herself very lucky, because being an albino in Africa is a real curse. She completed her studies in Johannesburg. It was there that the girl attracted a lot of attention due to her delicate and exotic appearance.

Thanks to this, Thando became a catwalk star and began to shine on magazine covers. Thando is one of the few business representatives with albinism known in our world.

It is possible that it was success and fame that prompted her to study law in order to tell the world about the social drama, unfamiliar to most people, that is playing out in Africa.

Albinism as a curse in Africa

It may seem strange to you, but it’s true: exactly Africa is one of the continents with the most people living with albinism. There are especially many albinos in Tanzania.

Experts still do not fully know the reasons for this strange phenomenon. There is a suspicion that the culprit of albinism is consanguinity and heredity of the first settlers from Europe who came to African continent. It is here that the number of albinos is 15% higher than in other regions of the world.

According to Tando Hop, albinism in Africa means not only a serious physical defect, but also a real social drama. Sun rays They are very aggressive here, which is why many people develop blindness. After all, human skin and eyes without melanin are extremely sensitive to the sun and need serious protection. In addition, society is very suspicious of such “special” people.

Albinos are often called “zeru-zeru,” which means “child of the devil or ghosts.” Albinism is believed to be the result of a sin committed by parents who made a pact with the devil himself. The white skin of the children is considered evidence of this conspiracy. This is why many mothers choose to abandon such children.

A living albino is worth nothing, but a dead one is worth its weight in gold. Why is this happening? The fact is that some ethnic groups in Africa, as well as sorcerers in distant villages, believe that the blood and organs of albinos have magical properties and treated for various diseases. Thus, people suffering from albinism find themselves on a par with rhinoceros horns and elephant tusks.

Some people are willing to pay a lot of money for an albino, and he could easily be deprived of a limb or even killed.

Many humanitarian organizations have been sounding the alarm for a long time, trying to convey this monstrous truth to others. Very often, armed groups of people go out at night to hunt for children and adults with albinism. When they find their victim, they amputate the limbs or take the life defenseless person. This is due to the fact that a lot of money is paid for the blood and organs of albinos. Because of this, cruel killers do not experience the slightest shadow of doubt when taking the life of their next victim. Of course, we find it difficult to believe such cruelty.

Being an albino in Africa is a real curse. It is good that there are people like Thando Hopa who are not afraid to open the eyes of the world to this monstrous drama. Many international organizations strive to protect and provide social support to these unfortunate people whose lives are in danger every day. This is especially true for Tanzania.

It is known that people die there every year. a large number of albinos. They become victims of attacks by heartless people or die as a result of untreated diseases. Skin burns, infected wounds and cancer are the main problems that people with albinism have to face.

Today, many of the children who have been attacked are forced to adapt to life without limbs. And despite this, many of them continue to smile. Although it is not at all easy to be different, to be different from the rest. Unfortunately, it still often happens in society that people who are different are persecuted.

Remember one of the mutually exclusive concepts - the white black man? It even sounds somewhat funny in the ordinary minds of representatives of this race. However, in reality, such a phenomenon, although rare, does occur.
Usually albino cubs are born in animals, but this also happens in humans. Well, where else could this happen if not in Africa?! But it’s one thing to be born with such an anomaly, and another thing...to survive with it. Exactly to survive! See below for details on how difficult this is.

(Total 14 photos)

East Africa and especially Tanzania is an area with abnormal high share albinos - it is 15 times higher than the world average. Albino blacks are the most vulnerable part of local society - they are hunted, chopped into pieces and eaten as medicine. The West saves them in special boarding schools.
On average, there is 1 albino per 20 thousand people worldwide. This ratio is 1:1400, in Kenya and Burundi – 1:5000. Scientists still cannot clearly explain why in these areas the percentage of albinos is so high. It is known that both parents must have the gene for this deviation in order for their child to be born “transparent”. In Tanzania, albinos are considered the most outcast part of society, and they are forced to marry among themselves. Perhaps this is the main reason for the abnormally high percentage of such people in these territories.

The high number of albinos is “regulated” by consumer consumption – in the literal sense! – the attitude of “classic blacks” towards them. For at least five centuries, there has been a belief that albino flesh is medicinal, and a real hunt is organized for them. Since 2006, at least 71 albinos have died in Tanzania, and 31 managed to escape from the clutches of hunters. You can understand the passion of the hunters: albino flesh, if you sell it to healers and sorcerers in parts - tongue, eyes, limbs, etc. – costs 50-100 thousand dollars. This is what an average Tanzanian earns over 25-50 years.

The demand for albinos increased sharply with the spread of AIDS in Tanzania. There was a belief that eating dried genitals would get rid of this disease.
Until recently, hunting for albinos was almost not punished - the system of mutual responsibility of the local society led to the fact that the community basically declared them “missing”. But Western public opinion, outraged by the brutal practices in Tanzania, forced local authorities to reluctantly begin searching for and punishing the cannibals.

In 2009, the first trial of the killers of an albino took place in Tanzania. Three men caught a 14-year-old albino, killed him and cut him into small pieces to sell to sorcerers. The court sentenced the villains to death by hanging.

But this incident made the cannibals more inventive - they switched from killing albinos to cutting off their limbs. Even if the criminal is caught, they will be able to avoid the death penalty and will only receive 5-8 years for grievous bodily harm.

Over the past three years, at least 90 albinos had their arms or legs cut off, and three died as a result of such “operations.”

98% of albinos in Tanzania do not live to be 40 years old. But this is not only due to their killing (for the sake of eating). Their skin and eyes are especially susceptible to ultraviolet radiation, and therefore by the age of 16-18, albinos lose 60-80% of their vision, and by the age of 30 they have a 60% chance of developing skin cancer.

It is not difficult to save your health - you need to constantly use it sunscreen and wear sunglasses. But in impoverished Tanzania, people do not have money for all this.

Albinos have one hope for salvation - the attention of the West. And he helps them survive. Medicines for albinos are being supplied to Tanzania and other countries of East Africa, and most importantly, special boarding schools are being built for them with Western money, where behind high walls and guards albinos live in isolation from the surrounding terrible reality.

This is such a difficult life in such a difficult life African life. Even being born blue-black in our country cannot be compared to having white skin on a black continent...

Life is already difficult for albinos, and even more so in Africa. Behind Last year in Tanzania alone, 26 people, born without pigmentation, were killed, mostly women and children. Local sorcerers buy their corpses, blood and internal organs, making up supposedly magical drinks based on them that can bring wealth, because in Tanzania albinos are considered a symbol of happiness and prosperity

From (Latin albus, “white”) - congenital absence of pigment of the skin, hair, iris and pigment membranes of the eye. There are complete and partial albinism. It is currently believed that the cause of the disease is the absence (or blockade) of the enzyme tyrosinase, which is necessary for the normal synthesis of melanin, a special substance on which the color of tissues depends.

Bloody Tanzania

In Africa, the killing of albinos has become an industry where the majority of the population cannot read or write and generally considers it an absolutely unnecessary activity, and even less understanding of medical nuances.

But there are various superstitions in use here. Residents believe that an albino black man brings misfortune to the village. The dismembered organs of albinos are sold for a lot of money to buyers from the “I would like to notice” Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda. People blindly believe that the legs, genitals, eyes and hair of people with albinism confer special strength and health. The killers are driven not only by pagan beliefs, but also by the thirst for profit - an albino hand costs 2 million Tanzanian shillings, which is about 1.2 thousand dollars. For Africans this is just crazy money!

Just recently, more than 50 people who differed from their compatriots in skin color were killed in Tanzania. They were not just killed, they were dismantled for organs, and the organs of albino blacks are sold to shamans. It so happens that those who hunt albino blacks don’t care who they kill: a man, a woman or a child. The product is scarce and expensive. Having killed one such victim, the hunter can live comfortably, by African standards, for a couple of years.