tagged w/ Albino
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Christian and Muslim leaders in Tanzania are being urged to tell their followers to stop the killing of Albino people and harvesting their body parts for spells.
It is widely believed that body parts from Albino people (including, legs and genitals) if taken to the local witch doctor can bring prosperity and good fortune to the murderer.
Witch doctors are paid cash for the spell and the body parts are used as part of the ceremony.
Many, if not all involved in this practice also regularly attend Church or Mosque, but have also traditionally believed in witchcraft, this is very common in East Africa.
more here http://thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/391-stop-albino-killings-call.htmlChristian and Muslim leaders in Tanzania are being urged to tell their followers to... more
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I'm just curious how the children have strait hair, obviously both parents have strong albino genes.
There are more photos at the linkI'm just curious how the children have strait hair, obviously both parents have... more
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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"I was horrified to read how dangerous life can be for albinos in Africa.
Over the... more
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East African albinos are being slaughtered for their body parts, body parts used by area witchdoctors in the creation of magical potions. The witchdoctors claim potions made with albino body parts will bring those who use them luck in love, life and business. The potions are popular, and sell for large sums.
Given the popularity of such potions it should be no surprise that albinos are becoming scarce in East Africa. Indeed, there has been a surge in albino killings in East Africa since 2007. At least 12 albinos were murdered and mutilated this year in Burundi and more than 40 have been killed since late 2007 in neighbouring Tanzania.
(Read more at link)East African albinos are being slaughtered for their body parts, body parts used by... more
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Documentary film-maker Lupita Nyong-O talks about her first documentary film, "In My Genes" at the African Roundtable hosted by Global Information Network on April 6, 2009. The film tells the story of Kenyan albinos and their community's negative and positive reactions
to their skin condition, touching upon issues of identity and race.Documentary film-maker Lupita Nyong-O talks about her first documentary film, "In... more
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NAIVASHA, Kenya (AFP) – Rangers in Kenya's Hellsgate National Park have spotted an albino buffalo, the first of its kind ever recorded in the wildlife rich country, park officials said Friday.
"This is the first time that an albino buffalo has been found in our parks and it's a great day for nature and animals lovers," said Nelly Palmeris, senior warden at Hellsgate.
The three-month-old calf, spotted within a large herd, has a very light brown coat, and is easily distinguished from other buffalos.
Its lighter colour will make it a more noticeable target for predators, park officials said.
The cultural stigma against albinos, both animal and human, among the Maasai pastoralists that live near the park could also create a threat.
"The African community and especially Maasais associate albinos with bad omens," Palmeris said. "We are just coming from a bad drought and the Maasai might associate the famine with this buffalo and kill it."
She added that rangers have enhanced security around the herd to ensure the Maasai do not attack the unique mammal.
The calf was not spotted for months after its birth because its herd was largely confined to obscure, shaded areas to mitigate against recent drought conditions.
While the rare sighting is a first for Kenya, albino buffaloes have been spotted in several other countries.NAIVASHA, Kenya (AFP) – Rangers in Kenya's Hellsgate National Park have... more
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Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology) is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a---->>>Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology) is a form of... more
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hobby
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3 years ago
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(NYT Video)
At least 19 albinos, including several young children, have been killed in Tanzania in the past year.
Life is harsh for millions of Africans who are albinos. Throughout their lives they suffer prejudice, ridicule, social exclusion and isolation. Very few find a place in school. Very few find work. Very few find a place in society or marriage. Superstition surrounds their yellow hair, white skin and pink eyes. In the Shona language albinos are termed “sope” meaning something magical inhabited by powerful evil spirits.(NYT Video)
At least 19 albinos, including several young children, have been killed... more
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Only 10 in every one million squirrels are born with albinism, and have a very short life expectancy because they are easily seen by both predators and prey due to their obvious lack of camouflage.Only 10 in every one million squirrels are born with albinism, and have a very short... more
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This is just another reminder of what a sad, backwards world we still live in.
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A six-year-old albino girl in Burundi has been found dead with her head and limbs removed, in the latest killing linked to ritual medicine.
Albinos in the region have been targeted because of a belief peddled by witchdoctors that their body parts can be used for magic potions.
The girl, who was attacked on Sunday, was the sixth person with albinism to be killed in Burundi since September.
There have also been a number of attacks in neighbouring Tanzania.
The latest attack took place in Burundi's eastern province of Ruyigi.
The BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge in Burundi said the child and her family had only just returned to their family home.
Armed attackers broke into the family home and tied up the girl's parents before shooting her in the head, local officials say.
They had been among a group of about 50 people with albinism to have fled to a provincial centre because they feared for her safety.
The head of the Burundi Albinos' Association, Kasim Kazungu, says people with albinism had not suffered any discrimination until other Burundians heard about the lucrative trade in albino body parts in neighbouring Tanzania.
Last week, police in south-western Tanzania arrested a man who was attempting to sell his albino wife to Congolese traders.
Two mothers in western Tanzania were also attacked with machetes after gangs failed to find their albino children.This is just another reminder of what a sad, backwards world we still live in.
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A Kent couple has found an albino hedgehog. Only one in 100,000 hedgehogs are born with the condition. They took the animal to a sanctuary, scared he would be an easy target for predators.A Kent couple has found an albino hedgehog. Only one in 100,000 hedgehogs are born... more
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A man has been arrested in southern Tanzania accused of trying to sell his albino wife. he was trying to sell her $3000 to two Congolese businessmen.
There has been a series of killings of Tanzania so Albinos have been living in fear. There have been a series of killings because there is a belief that there body parts can make magic potions more effective.
At least 27 people with albinism have been killed since March, including a seven-month old baby.
That is crazy!A man has been arrested in southern Tanzania accused of trying to sell his albino... more
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Have you ever picked up a cold, frosty beer on a hot summer's day and thought that it simply couldn't get any better?
Well, you may have to think again.
A team of researchers at Rice University in Houston is working to create a beer that could fight cancer and heart disease. Taylor Stevenson, a member of the six-student research team and a junior at Rice, said the team is using genetic engineering to create a beer that includes resveratrol, the disease-fighting chemical that's been found in red wine.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin in June had called resveratrol, which is a natural component of grapes, pomegranates and red wine, a key reason for the so-called French Paradox -- the observation that French people have lower rates of heart disease despite a cuisine known for its cream sauces and decadent cheeses, all loaded with heart-clogging saturated fats.
The Wisconsin researchers had noted that adding small doses of resveratrol to the diet of middle-aged mice significantly slows their aging and keeps their hearts healthy. And they added that giving high doses to invertebrates extends their life spans, and high doses also stave off premature death in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Stevenson said that the Rice research group, most of the members of which aren't old enough to legally drink alcoholic beverages, came up with the idea of adding resveratrol to beer during a casual conversation about potential projects to undertake. "The idea is that it may have greater effects [in beer than in wine]," he added. "The amount of red wine you'd need to drink to get the same results they get with rats in labs is about half a bottle a day."
He explained that the amount of resveratrol in wine varies from bottle to bottle, since it depends on growing conditions for the grapes and other variables. The researchers felt they could design a beer with higher and more consistent concentrations of the cancer-fighting chemical.
The students, using their own Dell, Lenovo ThinkPad and Gateway laptops, are now in the process of developing a genetically modified strain of yeast that will ferment beer and produce resveratrol at the same time. Stevenson said that as the research advances, the team will need to use one of Rice University's computer grids to run compute-heavy genetic models.
The Rice effort is the latest in a series of projects that use technology to find cures to major health concerns like cancer and heart disease.
In August, scientists at Stanford University announced that they have found a way to use nanotechnology to have chemotherapy drugs target only cancer cells, keeping healthy tissue safe from the treatment's toxic effects.
CONT'D::Have you ever picked up a cold, frosty beer on a hot summer's day and thought... more
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A young albino girl, Esther Charles (9), was killed on Sunday night and her legs amputated by unidentified people in Kahama District, Shinyanga Region, in Tanzania, according to Shinyanga Regional Crimes Officer (RCO) Aggrey Lufutyo.
After he was informed, the RCO drove to the scene about 50 kilometres from Kahama town. Narrating the awful story on Monday, Segese Ward Councillor Joseph Bundala Mayala said the incident occurred on Sunday night.
Mayala explained that three people armed with machetes broke into the parents’ house, scared off Esther’s mother, Jean John, who was sleeping with her daughter, gripped the girl and took her away.
“As they moved about 20 metres from the house, they put her down, cut off her legs and plucked out some hair from her head and disappeared. The father of the child, Mzorewa Mashiri, wasn’t at the house that night, he was at his second wife’s house,” he said.
After the attackers left, he continued, the mother cried for help and neighbours gathered at the scene but they found the child already dead. No one has been arrested in connection with the death of the albino girl.
Esther was studying at Silela Primary School in Kahama District. Her death comes hardly a week after President Jakaya Kikwete announced a national operation to hunt albino killers and just few hours before activists demonstrated in Dar es Salaam on Sunday to protest against albino killings in the country.A young albino girl, Esther Charles (9), was killed on Sunday night and her legs... more
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Albinos in Tanzania Africa demonstrated in the capital, Dar es Salaam to urge the government to do more to protect them from Witchdoctors. Some 30 or so albinos, some babies, have been killed in the past year. "Witchdoctors want their body parts for potions which they say make people rich. Dozens of people have been held in connection with the deaths."Albinos in Tanzania Africa demonstrated in the capital, Dar es Salaam to urge the... more
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smice
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3 years ago
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Albinos in Burundi have been taking refuge after three of them were killed by gangs apparently seeking to sell body parts in neighbouring Tanzania.
Four albinos were moved to a provincial centre on Thursday in Ruyigi, Burundi, where police were protecting them, the BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge reports.
Authorities have arrested six people in connection with the murder of an albino teenage girl in August.
The attacks follow the killing of 26 Tanzanian albinos in less than a year.
A BBC correspondent's investigation there revealed that witchdoctors were behind the killings.
They sought albino body parts for potions that they claimed could make people rich.
Two of the albinos killed in Burundi - a man and a teenage girl - were reportedly found dead with their legs and arms missing.
Police said the tip of the girl's tongue was also removed.
Neighbours of another teenage albino girl killed in Ruyigi in August chased away her attackers, six of whom were later apprehended as they came to retrieve her body parts.
They are said to have told police that they were planning to sell the body parts in Tanzania.
Our correspondent says that albinos in Burundi - estimated to number around 200 - are now living in fear for their lives.
Albinos in Burundi have been taking refuge after three of them were killed by gangs... more
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Twenty-five people with albinism have been murdered in Tanzania since March, a BBC investigation has found.
Albinos are targeted for body parts that are used in witchcraft, and killings continue despite government efforts to stamp out the grisly practice. Twenty-five people with albinism have been murdered in Tanzania since March, a BBC... more
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A rare sighting of an albino or “pink” dolphin was reported off the coast of Dana Point Sunday, giving spectators aboard a charter boat run by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari a treat.A rare sighting of an albino or “pink” dolphin was reported off the coast... more
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Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, but in Tanzania it has taken a sickening twist: at least 19 albinos, including children, have been killed or mutilated in the past year. They are victims of what local officials say is a growing criminal trade in albino body parts.
Officials say witch doctors are marketing albino skin, bones and hair as ingredients in potions that promise to make people rich. As the threats have increased, the government has acted to protect its albino population – a beleaguered group whose members are often shunned as outcasts and die of skin cancer before they reach 30.
The police are drawing up a list of the country's albinos to protect them. Officers are escorting albino children to school. Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete even sponsored an albino woman for a seat in parliament to show "we are with them in this," says Salvator Rweyemamu, a government spokesman.
Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, but... more
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There are many misconceptions about the condition of albinism. Albinos are not a freak show.There are many misconceptions about the condition of albinism. Albinos are not a freak... more
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