albinism - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

A year on, Malawi’s first female police officer living with albinism speaks out

FOR many Malawians, the very idea that a person living with albinism, which has made many into targets for body parts traders, could be recruited to protect ordinary Malawians, was almost ludicrous. That was until the Malawi Police Service (MPS) recruited two people with albinism into its services. “I do not believe this. You see, we are appealing to the police to protect our brothers and sisters with albinism from some misguided people who believe there is richness in their body parts. Now to suggest that the very people that need protection are protecting us is unimaginable.” said Darlington Gondwe,…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Hiding from the sun, the stares and the killers

HUMAN RIGHTS

JAN BORNMAN SITTING on the bed in the room he shares with his mother and younger sister, Nsikelelo Mamba, 16, has to squint to better watch a programme on the television less than a metre in front of him. His sister, Samkelisiwe, 12, doesn’t have to squint quite as much, but her eyesight isn’t perfect either. The siblings have been spending most days over the past few months watching educational television and listening to educational radio programmes in an attempt to keep up their schooling. Since joining their mother in Nkomazi, in northeastern Mpumalanga, Nsikelelo and Samkelisiwe have not been…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Music is my refuge’ Zambian hit singer raises voice to help people with albinism in pandemic

NEWS

When Zambian musician John Chiti was growing up classmates taunted him, teachers beat him and strangers spat, but the same people who once bullied him now dance to his hit songs. Chiti, the country's most prominent person with albinism, is using music to change attitudes towards people with the condition, many of whom have been badly impacted by coronavirus. "COVID-19 has left us at greater risk of discrimination and violence," said the musician who counts First Lady Esther Lungu and former president Kenneth Kaunda among his fans. Zambia has recorded nearly 10,000 coronavirus cases and over 260 deaths, according to…