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Gamariel Mboya: My name is Gamariel Mboya. I am a person with albinism from the southern highlands of Tanzania, in a region called Mbeya. I’m 29 and married. I have a daughter and work for a charity called Under the Same Sun. What was life like growing up in Tanzania?
Not simple. People with albinism don’t get sufficient support from society, and as a result learn not to trust anyone. We’re not treated like human beings. A Pew Forum report revealed that more than 60 percent of Tanzanians depend on and believe in traditional healers, who tell them people with albinism have supernatural powers. People believe our bones, our blood, and our hair bring good luck and that women with albinism can cure HIV and AIDS.
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In various ways, the word has been used with negative implications and inferences. When I was growing up, even though people knew my name, they still chose to refer to me as "the albino." The term is dehumanizing. That said, many people with albinism refer to themselves as albinos.Today, we’re trying to encourage people to separate our genetic condition from who we are as people. How do attackers target people?
They will usually entice children with presents and sweets, pretending to be nice and friendly. They prey on children in the most deceptive ways. Sometimes they hide in bushes, waiting to attack. When it comes to women, they try to seduce them. They will ask them out on dates and initiate relationships to earn their trust. There have been cases where men have married women with albinism simply to attack them. Recently, in one of the southern highland regions, a woman was attacked by her husband and a group of other men. When all else fails, attackers resort to the use of guns.What do they do with the body parts?
These body parts are often found in witch doctors’ houses. Sometimes they are buried in the ground as part of ritual sacrifices, but mostly they are used in charms—they crush and ground the bones to keep them in charms.

Firstly, the nature of the country’s legal system means that justice can’t be obtained swiftly. Out of more than 100 reported attacks and killings only five of the accused were found guilty. Two of the cases resulted in acquittals. Secondly, there is no real political will to end the atrocities, and supporting people with disabilities isn’t at the top of the government’s agenda. That said, in some cases the police do try to help. They can be very effective, investigating attacks and arresting culprits. However, records also show that some policemen have defended attackers and destroyed evidence.
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There are so many to speak of, but the story of Adam Robert is one I will always remember. He had his fingers chopped off and suffered terrible injuries to his arm, after being attacked on the doorsteps of his home, while his father and step-mother were inside. Adam was one of two children with albinism his parents had. His father decided to divorce his mother because he blamed her for their albinism. Adam’s mother left the family, and his father was given custody of the children. Adam’s father decided to take them out of school, claiming he was worried about the distances they had to travel and their safety. He put the children in charge of taking care of their home, working on the family compound and grazing for food.One day, while Adam was working on the compound, he found a strange man wandering around. The man was erratic and began asking unusual questions. This same man kept going back, prompting Adam to tell his father that he had seen the man snooping around before. Not that the father paid much notice. Eventually, the guy attacked Adam. Adam’s father was arrested for his negligence but has now been released. Adam is even more worried about his safety, now.
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I have most definitely been discriminated against. I’ve had to deal with name calling and bullying at school. All my life I’ve been excluded from society because of who I am. A lot of people with albinism are unemployed, and often rejected for jobs because of our conditions. How do you deal with it?
Silence is one of my greatest weapons, but I also try to be smart and approach people who discriminate against me to educate them about my genetic condition.I also get a lot of support from my family, especially my wife. Charities like "Under the Same Sun" are great too. Is discrimination against people with albinism much more prevalent in Tanzania than in other countries?
People with albinism face challenges across Africa. You might not hear about what is going on in other countries because their national press don’t have as much freedom as ours, though. How does the albinistic community respond?
There are some centers where children with albinism are kept on a temporary basis, but there isn’t enough support readily available. In general there is no strategy or system of protection for people with albinism. What do you think can be done to improve living conditions for people with albinism?
The government has to recognize the problems we have, create programs and set budgets that will address the challenges we face. We also need to encourage people to think positively about albinism, putting aside all the myths and falsehoods that have caused us so much trouble. If we do that, we can really make a change.
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