Community | August 07, 2009 | 42 comments

African albino's: Many are killed to make potions for the superstitious

source: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/090806/africas-albinos-seek-their-rights

Image
btucker
I was horrified to read how dangerous life can be for albinos in Africa.

Over the past 19 months, 62 ritualistic murders have occurred in Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya in which albinos were killed to sell their body parts.

WTF!!!!!

Ignorance has led to a dehumanization of Africa's albinos; as they face discrimination and are subject to preposterous superstition.

"The right leg from an albino can sell for $2,000 and an arm about $800"
  1. groups:
    Community,   WTF,   Current Tonight,   Humanism,   2 more
  2. tags:
    News,  Africa,  Cults,  Magic,  2 more
  3.     
    |

42 comments // African albino's: Many are killed to make potions for the superstitious

  • maof4brats
  • versasrev
    • 0
      versasrev  
    • maof4brats:

      actually there is oil in Africa, and China is the one getting a lot of those deals by trading weapons for it.

      As for Diamonds, we can certifiably manufacture perfect diamonds, and close to perfect (two different processes) for cheaper than De Beers. Who BTW artificially inflate the price of diamonds.

      Unfortunately, Africa is the redheaded step child of the world.

      But this stuff is sick!

    • 2 years ago
  • tomofnorthcal
  • Acedia
    • 0
      Acedia  
    • tomofnorthcal:

      Just because you've got an axe to grind with the US government (take a number; you're not the only one) does not make this any more acceptable.

      If you want to talk about atrocities committed by the United States government, I would suggest you post about it under a relevant topic rather than trying to stir up controversy in an unrelated article.

    • 2 years ago
  • maof4brats
  • Acedia
    • 0
      Acedia  

    • Until now, I'd never even heard about this. It's horrendous how people dehumanize one another for the most trivial of reasons.

    • 2 years ago
  • maof4brats
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  

    • In most species albinos rarely achieve a full life span. Usually abandoned by the social network that keeps us safe. This article would seem to prove how close we humans are to other animal species. Isn't it about 2% of our DNA that seperates us from the rest of the great apes? Mix in a little superstition and it is so much easier to cull anyone that is different. Makes you reconsider the smart animal thing, huh?

    • 2 years ago
  • MoonLoon
    • 0
      MoonLoon  
    • bluestranger:

      Yes it does. Albino's are rare in Nigeria, but are still seen on the street occasionally. I see one in Lagos regularly, begging by the Star Beer sign. Giving them money is illegal here, but I still manage to get my driver to slip him something when the traffic officer is otherwise occupied. It is heartbreaking to see the suffering in Africa.

    • 2 years ago
  • bluestranger
  • MoonLoon
    • 0
      MoonLoon  

    • Thanks for re-introducing this information. As some of you know, I live in Nigeria, and it is common to see newspaper articles about, sexual mutilation of babies, men, and women, as these body parts are used as "juju" fetishes. Usually as a charm to make money or kill an enemy. Twin babies are often drowned or sold to 'winches" (witches), to be used in juju rituals. Even some of the most educated Christians in Nigeria have a deepseated fear of juju curses. In the villages the belief in charms, rituals, and sacrifice runs rampant! I received an e-mail today from a Nigerian friend (a prayer), granting me immunity from the powers of evil, poisons and curses. A common prayer here. Current has an archived article of "Child witches in Nigeria", please check it out.

    • 2 years ago
  • UWAZell
  • maof4brats
  • chenoa_monster
  • Valence
    • 0
      Valence  

    • 10 dollars an year as salary? wow.

      I'm always an Non-supporter of African rituals because they do some weird shit but the people who are trying to make the little money to help their family idk i can't speak on it,i don't understand whats it like to have a 10 dollars a year salary.

      Sad :/.

    • 2 years ago
  • bailey78
  • maof4brats
  • GodsnLiberals
  • TheJerryMadden
  • akamaial
    • 0
      akamaial [removed]  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Unlike most of the bloviating democrat bureaucrats, some of us actually do take the time to read and research this supposed "health care" legislation...and it has a lo-o-n-n-g way to go to accomplish even a fraction of real benefit to anyone, it in fact appears to 'create' more problems than it proposes to solve.
      It's hard to take a liberal (or a conservative, as a matter of fact) seriously when the majority of these bloodsuckers don't even know the content of the bill they are attempting to ram down our throats... go figure, huh

    • 2 years ago
  • TheJerryMadden
  • Prijedor
  • akamaial
  • maof4brats
  • akamaial
  • TheJerryMadden
  • larrysnotes
  • ajcowley
    • 0
      ajcowley  
    • Image

    • The Boston Globe has a stunning gallery of photography taken at a government run school that protects white albinos in Tanzania. Many of these children have had members of their own families killed already or have to be separated from them to protect all from harm.

    • 2 years ago
  • drewsuf721
    • 0
      drewsuf721  

    • I just can't imagine the sun damage that living in Africa as an albino could cause. Ouch! And then they need to worry about superstitious neighbors... must be disheartening.

      I've heard that albino ravens are pecked to death by other ravens, but I don't know if there is any truth to that.

      Must be a tough life, but then again Powder showed that adversity builds character and can give us some amazing gifts as well.

    • 2 years ago
  • biggranny
  • unimatrix0
  • GodsnLiberals
    • 0
      GodsnLiberals  
    • unimatrix0:

      if you think religion and superstition is going to fuck them over..wait until the liberals are done with them..liberals and thier "crusades to help" had managed to fuck this continent in wayyyyyyy less time than both religion and superstition..

    • 2 years ago
  • RonenA
    • 0
      RonenA  
    • unimatrix0:

      @GodsnLiberals

      Yknow everyone thinks they have the right political opinion but you sure are fucking annoying about it.

      Maybe if we didn't waste our money on oil wars we could've actually helped these people. How much money did we spend blowing shit up in the middle east? How much money did we spend helping these people? Did the one we spend a lot more money on produce anything useful?

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • 0
      GodsnLiberals  

    • According to current tv rules and guidelines, any talk under this kind of approach is regarded as racist and biased.
      This can be mistaken for 'profiling' and stereotyping

    • 2 years ago
  • quixotic12
    • 0
      quixotic12  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Please show me where you found this. I know they have rules regarding racial profiling, but I want to see the exact language, with a link. I'm skeptical of your interpretation.

      I'm doubtful that posting a story about the killing of people as part of a cultural practice is against Current rules, and I also doubt that commenting on it or expressing that you find it to be repulsive is against Current rules either.

    • 2 years ago
  • maof4brats
  • pjacobs51
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • KCHARLES
  • Spoon2013
    • 0
      Spoon2013  

    • Ignorance runs rampant in these third world hell holes no matter how "educated" you think they are... Lots of African tribes make potents out of all kinds of weird things the fact that they're using human. Shit South East Asian countries cage large bears and drain the bile...

      I'm sure you've heard the horror stories of how in some African cultures they think that to cure AIDS all you have to do is have sex with a virgin... well in some parts they've run out of women to rape so they're raping babies...

      Tell Bono to leave them alone and find a knew cause...

    • 2 years ago
  • quixotic12
    • 0
      quixotic12  
    • Spoon2013:

      Giving up is not the answer.We can help curb ignorance by getting people informed. That is one of the biggest steps we can take, and one that is being taken by countless organizations around the world, working in Africa.

    • 2 years ago
  • YessieL
more from Community:
from the community

top videos