This article was translated by Jean Burke for this blog from a Kiswahili newspaper (NIPASHE)
The first witness in the case of the murder of albino, Mariam Emmanuel (5), Flora Mabula (33) has described to the Supreme Court of Tanzania of Mwanza Zone that prior to the murder occurring the first defendant, Kazimili Mashauri (48), asked her children about the house where they sleep.
This witness who is the mother of the deceased, told the court that because they were related to Mashauri, the children told him that they stayed in their grandfather’s house and she (the witness) was not worried about this.
The murder of albino, Mariam Emmanuel took place on January 21, this year at the time of 4am in Nyangh’olongo village of Misungwi district where it is claimed the murder suspects cut off both legs and disappeared with them.
This case is being heard by Judge Protace Rugazia and the prosecution side is being led by Public Prosecutor, Ayubu Mwenda, assisted by Stephen Makwega and Judith Nyaki.
Guided by the lawyer Mwenda, the witness told judge Rugazia that Mashauri was recognized by her children while holding a torch after breaking into the house and entering their room. Flora continued to explain to Judge Rugazia that this torch was used to illuminate the deceased where they were sleeping and the other murderers were holding machetes and pans to collect the blood. She claimed that at the time of this incident she was sleeping in her hut which was in the area of her father Mabula Fimbo, while her six children were asleep in their grandfather’s house.
According to Flora, while still sleeping she heard a noise made by people coming outside and finding many people in her father’s house and she tried to ask what had happened and she was told to go inside and see for herself.
“I went inside and found my daughter Mariamu had been ruthlessly killed and her body lay on the bed with both of her legs gone,” she explained to the court in a voice hard to hear.
She claimed that when she asked her other children who carried out this murder, they told her that they saw Mashauri holding a torch.
This case, number 42 of the year 2009 is directed towards two accused, Mashauri and Mathias Italanga (60) better known as Mahona.
The murder of the child, Mariam, occurred on January 21, 2008 at 4 am in the morning in Nyangh’olongo village, Misungwi district, of Mwanza region.
Judge Rugazia adjourned the case until tomorrow when the second witness will begin to give their evidence.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Albino’s grave dug up, bones taken
This article was translated for this blog from Kiswahili by Jean Burke. It first appeared in
The fear of being hunted for albino body parts has re-emerged after claims that unknown people exhumed the grave of a person with albinism in the Izengwabasumba settlement in Nyamalulu village, Geita district and some bones have disappeared.
It is alleged this incident is related to superstitious beliefs to gain riches from gold mining. It is said that the police force have not arrested any suspects but are continuing their investigations and already a confidential list of suspects including a traditional healer is being prepared as an initial step.
It is alleged the incident occurred at night in early July and was then reported at district police headquarters.
It is claimed that residents of this village discovered the grave of Zawadi Mangidu (22), at about four-thirty in the afternoon had been exhumed and a piece of a bone had fallen on top of the grave.
Information from the incident area indicates that suspects dug up the grave at the side of the cement-built area..by digging in areas without cement and then after exhuming it and removing the bones dug up, they filled in the hole and vanished.
In verifying the occurence of this incident, the Police Commander of Mwanza Region, Simon Sirro, said this incident took place one night in early July and that already a team of police led by the Head of Police of Geita district had arrived at the location of the incident.
He said the police went to the location of the incident after receiving the report from the village chair and began investigations where it was evident that after exhuming the grave, the criminals had filled it in later.
Nipashe,a Kiswahili newspaper here in Tanzania
The fear of being hunted for albino body parts has re-emerged after claims that unknown people exhumed the grave of a person with albinism in the Izengwabasumba settlement in Nyamalulu village, Geita district and some bones have disappeared.
It is alleged this incident is related to superstitious beliefs to gain riches from gold mining. It is said that the police force have not arrested any suspects but are continuing their investigations and already a confidential list of suspects including a traditional healer is being prepared as an initial step.
It is alleged the incident occurred at night in early July and was then reported at district police headquarters.
It is claimed that residents of this village discovered the grave of Zawadi Mangidu (22), at about four-thirty in the afternoon had been exhumed and a piece of a bone had fallen on top of the grave.
Information from the incident area indicates that suspects dug up the grave at the side of the cement-built area..by digging in areas without cement and then after exhuming it and removing the bones dug up, they filled in the hole and vanished.
In verifying the occurence of this incident, the Police Commander of Mwanza Region, Simon Sirro, said this incident took place one night in early July and that already a team of police led by the Head of Police of Geita district had arrived at the location of the incident.
He said the police went to the location of the incident after receiving the report from the village chair and began investigations where it was evident that after exhuming the grave, the criminals had filled it in later.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A call to all by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Help the Albinos
If you would like to support our work in helping the albinos in Tanzania and Burundi, you can donate by using the bank details below.
Please note that this bank account is a US dollars account held by the International Federation regional office in Nairobi. To make sure your donation is earmarked for the albinos, please ensure you include the reference 'Albino project' when you make your donation. On behalf of the albinos, thank you for supporting our work.
Account Name: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
Account Number: 8706025934700
Swift Code: SCBLKENXAXX
Country: Kenya
Reference: Albino project
Please note that this bank account is a US dollars account held by the International Federation regional office in Nairobi. To make sure your donation is earmarked for the albinos, please ensure you include the reference 'Albino project' when you make your donation. On behalf of the albinos, thank you for supporting our work.
Tanzania: albinos are “a walking deal”
Article courtesy of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
A problem that was originally confined to the Great Lakes region of Tanganyika is now spreading into mainland Tanzania. Two of the recent attacks on albinos took place less than 300 kilometres from the city of Dar es Salaam. The situation has been further aggravated by an increase in the value of a complete set of albino body parts – now fetching 200,000 US dollars....
Read the rest HERE.
A problem that was originally confined to the Great Lakes region of Tanganyika is now spreading into mainland Tanzania. Two of the recent attacks on albinos took place less than 300 kilometres from the city of Dar es Salaam. The situation has been further aggravated by an increase in the value of a complete set of albino body parts – now fetching 200,000 US dollars....
Rukia recalls how that fateful night she had strapped Fatuma on her back as she went about her evening chores. She then felt a hard blow on her left rib. She quickly turned around only to see a man trying to hide a machete behind his back...
With a shaky voice Rukia tells how she came to understand that her husband was behind the attack...
Read the rest HERE.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The murder of albinos in Tanzania
...“One person, a little boy of 4 was murdered. A man lost a hand, the hand was chopped off. A little girl who is now in hospital, her hand was chopped off and there was an attack with severe injuries when a woman of 33 years of age and a little girl of 12 months old were attacked.”...
...“These witch doctors have turned into small gods. All over the place people fear them, people believe them. People trust them. If you say to a Tanzanian you don’t have to go to witch doctor to be successful you don’t have to go to a witch doctor to solve your problems they will look at you and say are you coming from Mars? Most of them believe in witch doctors.”...
READ THE REST HERE
Body of albino woman exhumed
Unknown people have allegedly exhumed the body of an albino woman in Biharamulo district, Kagera region and made away with her body parts...READ THE REST HERE.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Peter Ash: A Beacon for Tanzanian albinos
Article courtesy of The Citizen newspaper (Tanzania)
The Canadian philanthropist has walked miles in the shoes of albinos, raising awareness about albinism and the unquestionable humanity of those who have it
If it were a movie or play, he would have been the typical empathetic hero, who traversed deserts to come to the rescue of his friends under siege. But Peter Ash is not a movie star, and his friends are not subjects in a Hollywood film.
Yet like the protagonist in a movie, the 45-year-old Canadian is the heroic man, who is admired and idealised by thousands of albinos in Tanzania for coming from a far-off country to their rescue.
Being an albino too, it is most likely that he understood too well the plight people with albinism could have been going through. In his childhood, he had had to contend with name-calling by his peers for being an albino. Yet when he thought he had heard the worst, he realised one day that elsewhere, the ordeal of being an albino was beyond anyone’s imagination.
“I first heard of albino killings in 2008 through a BBC English service report by Vicky Ntetema. Then I knew that my brothers and sisters were dying,” says Ash, the president and founder of ‘Under the Same Sun’, an organisation that assists albinos in Tanzania.
The organisation aims at protecting an estimated 170,000 albinos in the country, who live in constant fear of ‘machete’-brandishing murderers, baying for their arms and legs.
More than 50 albinos have been murdered in the country in the past year and half alone by superstitious fortune seekers, who believe that a concoction containing some albino body parts makes them rich and powerful. The Tanzania Albino Society says the total number of murdered albinos in the country is as high as 80.
The murderers are said to be selling an arm for up to $3,000 (Sh4.2 million) and limb for as much as $7,500 (Sh10.5 million). It was at the height of the killings, rampant in some parts of Burundi and Kenya too, that Ash decided to come and help in a different way.
Surprised“I was surprised by the large numbers of albinos in Tanzania and the rest of East Africa, it is quite different from Canada and the other parts of the world,” he says.
An established entrepreneur running a money-lending company, Ash was born in Canada in 1965. He grew up and studied in the North American country, where he obtained degrees in theology and psychology.
Man of the cloth
For 10 years, he worked as a man of the cloth with two churches before he began his money-lending business. Could it be his experience as a cleric that drove him into philanthropy? Maybe.
But the heavily built Canadian went through difficult times due to the unusual colour of his skin. “When I was young, my friends used to make fun of me, calling me names, especially because of my vision problem,” he recalls.
However, the name-calling, painful as it was for a young child, ended during childhood. He says he had no such experience again in school as an adult. He was, nevertheless, to feel it once more, and much worse, on learning that in some parts of Tanzania’s rural areas and East Africa, not only were albinos contending with discrimination, but also daily threats to their lives.
“No one ever killed albino babies in Canada based on the belief that they are a curse,” he says. He believes discrimination and poverty has reduced the life expectancy of albinos in Tanzania to 30 years. In Canada and other countries, people with albinism could live longer, despite the problem of skin cancer.
Discrimination
Ash decries the extent of discrimination against albinos in the country. Giving the example of Said Abdalla, an albino in Morogoro whose hand was chopped off last month, he says the prejudice against people with albinism is worse here than in any other part of the world that he has been to.
Ash paid Said a visit, only to discover that none of the victim’s relatives knew where he was living. “Even the brother (didn’t know where Said was living after the incident), but all of a sudden he was of interest to them because he was getting help from ‘Under the Same Sun’.
Through the organisation, the passionate Canadian philanthropist provides emotional and material support to thousands of albinos in the country. Among other things, the charity provides sunglasses used to avoid too much exposure to the sun.
He dismisses what he says is a widespread belief among local albinos that the problem of frequent reflex eye-blinking most of them have is stopped by exposing an albino child to the sun soon after birth. Ash explains that the problem can be stopped by simply putting on sunglasses.
‘Under the Same Sun’, which is located in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, also helps albinos with tanning lotion and medical cover for some of the victims of the brutal attacks.
“They are exposed to too much sun, they can’t afford to buy tanning lotion, and they don’t have sunglasses, this is why they end up with skin cancer, which eventually leads to their death.”
In addition, the charity has a scholarship programme aimed at providing free education to albinos and improving their quality of life.
Vicky Ntetema, a former Tanzanian BBC correspondent and now executive director of media and international affairs with ‘Under the Same Sun’, describes Ash as someone who is “dedicating his energy and resources to help our brothers and sisters who are under siege”.
“He decided to call the charity ‘Under the Same Sun’ because all of us, regardless of our colour, black or white, albino or no albino, we all live under the same sun,” says Vicky, who won an award for her involvement in albinism advocacy.
The Canadian philanthropist has walked miles in the shoes of albinos, raising awareness about albinism and the unquestionable humanity of those who have it
If it were a movie or play, he would have been the typical empathetic hero, who traversed deserts to come to the rescue of his friends under siege. But Peter Ash is not a movie star, and his friends are not subjects in a Hollywood film.
Yet like the protagonist in a movie, the 45-year-old Canadian is the heroic man, who is admired and idealised by thousands of albinos in Tanzania for coming from a far-off country to their rescue.
Being an albino too, it is most likely that he understood too well the plight people with albinism could have been going through. In his childhood, he had had to contend with name-calling by his peers for being an albino. Yet when he thought he had heard the worst, he realised one day that elsewhere, the ordeal of being an albino was beyond anyone’s imagination.
“I first heard of albino killings in 2008 through a BBC English service report by Vicky Ntetema. Then I knew that my brothers and sisters were dying,” says Ash, the president and founder of ‘Under the Same Sun’, an organisation that assists albinos in Tanzania.
The organisation aims at protecting an estimated 170,000 albinos in the country, who live in constant fear of ‘machete’-brandishing murderers, baying for their arms and legs.
More than 50 albinos have been murdered in the country in the past year and half alone by superstitious fortune seekers, who believe that a concoction containing some albino body parts makes them rich and powerful. The Tanzania Albino Society says the total number of murdered albinos in the country is as high as 80.
The murderers are said to be selling an arm for up to $3,000 (Sh4.2 million) and limb for as much as $7,500 (Sh10.5 million). It was at the height of the killings, rampant in some parts of Burundi and Kenya too, that Ash decided to come and help in a different way.
Surprised“I was surprised by the large numbers of albinos in Tanzania and the rest of East Africa, it is quite different from Canada and the other parts of the world,” he says.
An established entrepreneur running a money-lending company, Ash was born in Canada in 1965. He grew up and studied in the North American country, where he obtained degrees in theology and psychology.
Man of the cloth
For 10 years, he worked as a man of the cloth with two churches before he began his money-lending business. Could it be his experience as a cleric that drove him into philanthropy? Maybe.
But the heavily built Canadian went through difficult times due to the unusual colour of his skin. “When I was young, my friends used to make fun of me, calling me names, especially because of my vision problem,” he recalls.
However, the name-calling, painful as it was for a young child, ended during childhood. He says he had no such experience again in school as an adult. He was, nevertheless, to feel it once more, and much worse, on learning that in some parts of Tanzania’s rural areas and East Africa, not only were albinos contending with discrimination, but also daily threats to their lives.
“No one ever killed albino babies in Canada based on the belief that they are a curse,” he says. He believes discrimination and poverty has reduced the life expectancy of albinos in Tanzania to 30 years. In Canada and other countries, people with albinism could live longer, despite the problem of skin cancer.
Discrimination
Ash decries the extent of discrimination against albinos in the country. Giving the example of Said Abdalla, an albino in Morogoro whose hand was chopped off last month, he says the prejudice against people with albinism is worse here than in any other part of the world that he has been to.
Ash paid Said a visit, only to discover that none of the victim’s relatives knew where he was living. “Even the brother (didn’t know where Said was living after the incident), but all of a sudden he was of interest to them because he was getting help from ‘Under the Same Sun’.
Through the organisation, the passionate Canadian philanthropist provides emotional and material support to thousands of albinos in the country. Among other things, the charity provides sunglasses used to avoid too much exposure to the sun.
He dismisses what he says is a widespread belief among local albinos that the problem of frequent reflex eye-blinking most of them have is stopped by exposing an albino child to the sun soon after birth. Ash explains that the problem can be stopped by simply putting on sunglasses.
‘Under the Same Sun’, which is located in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, also helps albinos with tanning lotion and medical cover for some of the victims of the brutal attacks.
“They are exposed to too much sun, they can’t afford to buy tanning lotion, and they don’t have sunglasses, this is why they end up with skin cancer, which eventually leads to their death.”
In addition, the charity has a scholarship programme aimed at providing free education to albinos and improving their quality of life.
Vicky Ntetema, a former Tanzanian BBC correspondent and now executive director of media and international affairs with ‘Under the Same Sun’, describes Ash as someone who is “dedicating his energy and resources to help our brothers and sisters who are under siege”.
“He decided to call the charity ‘Under the Same Sun’ because all of us, regardless of our colour, black or white, albino or no albino, we all live under the same sun,” says Vicky, who won an award for her involvement in albinism advocacy.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Human Rights Case of Persons with Albinism in Uganda
In the temperate cycle between evening and twilight, Ugandan families prepare dinner. Living to the cycle of seasons and nature’s clock, there is a quiet pace that breaks the sounds of day. Chickens and goats are settling down, the air becomes more still and windows glow with an evening light. The daytime sounds in the neighborhood are folding into evening’s blanket.
In this part of Africa....”Read The Rest Here
.....................................
She continues, “Tanzania and other neighboring countries share similar beliefs surrounding Albinism as Uganda, which have allowed witchdoctors in these countries to exploit these superstitions in order to pursue their own economic gains.” “When a group is defined as anything less than human, acts of discrimination become acceptable. The most devastating construct in Tanzania and Burundi is the myth that certain body parts of an albino person can bring wealth.”Read The Rest Here
In this part of Africa....”Read The Rest Here
.....................................
She continues, “Tanzania and other neighboring countries share similar beliefs surrounding Albinism as Uganda, which have allowed witchdoctors in these countries to exploit these superstitions in order to pursue their own economic gains.” “When a group is defined as anything less than human, acts of discrimination become acceptable. The most devastating construct in Tanzania and Burundi is the myth that certain body parts of an albino person can bring wealth.”Read The Rest Here
Students beg JK for albino-killers to be killed
This article was translated by Jean Burke for this blog. It appeared in a Kiswahili newspaper, NIPASHE.
Children with albinism who attend Pongwe Primary School in the town here have asked President Jakaya Kikwete (JK) to insist the authorization of the death sentence by hanging until dead be issued by the courts for those involved in murders of albinos.
They have said this step will help greatly in frightening off those involved in these murders and ultimately to completely stop the nightmare which continues to take the lives of albinos in various areas of the country.
This was stated in interviews conducted with this newspaper, a short time after the appointed Member of Parliament, Al-Shymaa Kwegyir through her institution of Good Hope Star Foundation handed over sun-protection creams (lotion) and sunglasses.
These students generally stated they are fed up of a life without freedom due to fear of being killed anytime at the same time some of them lack basic rights as children because parents must hide them inside to avoid being hurt.
Semeni Bahati (12), a student in sixth class at this school said he is a resident of Sengerema of Mwanza region but his parents assisted him escape and brought him to Tanga region to save his live after his younger sibling who was an albino was killed by unknown persons.
And Mwania Salum who also is an albino and a student of this school saked the Government to increase security in those schools where children with albinism study, a ste which will encourage parents to send their children to schools if they know there is sufficient safety.
The specially appointed Member of Parliamant on the CCM ticket in Tanga region said that the battles in the war against albino murders in this country have been continuing resulting from the extensive and strong network which is beyond understanding.
Al-Shyamaa stated traditional healers have been accused of being involved in these murders even though they have denied this accusation and said that those who are involved in these acts are witches.
The Head Teacher of this primary school in Pongwe, Paulo Shechambo stated that currently the school has a total of 1,063 out of whom 23 are albinos and 68 students are blind.
Children with albinism who attend Pongwe Primary School in the town here have asked President Jakaya Kikwete (JK) to insist the authorization of the death sentence by hanging until dead be issued by the courts for those involved in murders of albinos.
They have said this step will help greatly in frightening off those involved in these murders and ultimately to completely stop the nightmare which continues to take the lives of albinos in various areas of the country.
This was stated in interviews conducted with this newspaper, a short time after the appointed Member of Parliament, Al-Shymaa Kwegyir through her institution of Good Hope Star Foundation handed over sun-protection creams (lotion) and sunglasses.
These students generally stated they are fed up of a life without freedom due to fear of being killed anytime at the same time some of them lack basic rights as children because parents must hide them inside to avoid being hurt.
Semeni Bahati (12), a student in sixth class at this school said he is a resident of Sengerema of Mwanza region but his parents assisted him escape and brought him to Tanga region to save his live after his younger sibling who was an albino was killed by unknown persons.
And Mwania Salum who also is an albino and a student of this school saked the Government to increase security in those schools where children with albinism study, a ste which will encourage parents to send their children to schools if they know there is sufficient safety.
The specially appointed Member of Parliamant on the CCM ticket in Tanga region said that the battles in the war against albino murders in this country have been continuing resulting from the extensive and strong network which is beyond understanding.
Al-Shyamaa stated traditional healers have been accused of being involved in these murders even though they have denied this accusation and said that those who are involved in these acts are witches.
The Head Teacher of this primary school in Pongwe, Paulo Shechambo stated that currently the school has a total of 1,063 out of whom 23 are albinos and 68 students are blind.
The poverty of Tanzania stuns EU Ambassador
This article first appeared in a Kiswahili newspaper (NIPASHE). It was translated for this blog by Jean Burke.
Head of Delegation of the European Commission (EU) in Tanzania, Ambassador Tim Clarke, said he hasn’t see any changes in the efforts made to lift the country out of poverty and bring development to its citizens over the last twenty years.
Ambassador Clarke gave this statement at a conference to stand up for those people who are forgotten, recognized as “marginalized groups”, held in the Social Welfare Institute, in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The conference was organised by the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) in cooperation with EU, as part of the 10-year celebrations since the Union was established.
The conference aimed to provide an opportunity to understand these groups, their needs, and how they support themselves and how the EU will be able to assist them out of poverty.
“I came to Tanzania 20 years ago, and then left. The agricultural situation which was in the villages at that time, is still the same. We can’t make economic changes and emerge from poverty without an agricultural revolution,” said Ambassador Clarke.
He highlighted things which must be done to remove poverty including identifying groups which are marginalized, to have one vision and raising voices together in making demands and in bringing changes in the situation in the country.
This statement came from the conference by Ambassador Clarke with the Executive Officer of Tamwa, Ananilea Nkya, after speaking with the ambassador during a short break during conference discussions when each participant was able to exchange ideas with others sitting next to them about how to lift these people from poverty.
Firstly, at this conference Ambassador Clarke stated the EU program in the country aims mainly to help the government reduce poverty.
“Are we really doing this? It’s an important question to ask ourselves, are the poor becoming poorer, and the rich becoming richer?” he asked.
He wanted conference participants and Tanzanians in general to explain clearly to the Union and other development partners how they will be able to improve their live.
“This is your conference. Tell us how we and other development partners can improve your lives,” Ambassador Clarke said.
When presenting on the topic of “the way bribes affect the albino woman” at the conference, an entrepreneur from an albino group, Nasra Mbonea, said the kickbacks have been the main source of murders against people with albinism (albino) in the country because some of the wealthy tempt people to carry out these cruel acts.
She said apart from these cruel murders, some people in the community show stigma towards albino as a result of superstition and backward customs, moreover the cream which helps care for their skin (albino), is sold for a high price.
Nasra said stigma against albinos has reached a very bad stage with their bodies and skin being used by some people as a way to make an economic profit due to backward beliefs.
“If Albinos start a business, like selling food, people don’t buy from them. They avoid even giving them a lift in their car out of fear if there is an accident the person who gave them the lift may appear to be taking them to sell or kill them. Currently there is a belief which has emerged in society that, if you go with (have sex) with an albino you will be cured from AIDS or become rich, we are stigmatized a lot,” said Nasra.
She said if she was the President of Tanzania, she would punish anyone who gets a guilty judgement from court for cutting an albino child, by cutting off both their hands, instead of sentending them to jail, which she said only cares for them by providing food free bought out of citizen’s taxes.
When delivering a presentation about "education for the blind in Tanzania ", Shella Gailos said the actual educational situation is not in line with improvements needed because blind women do not benefit, they are faced with challenges of poor quality learning and teaching equipment; some said Mathematics and Science lessons are not taught in secondary schools for the blind.
In her presentation on the topic of “the situation of disabled people in the economy”, an entrepreneur from the Sebo group in Mikocheni, of Dar es Salaam city, Cecilia Masika, said the economic situation of a person with disability is dismal compared to someone without a disability, especially for women, because many of them don’t receive primary school education.
Also, she said employment for people with disabilities is still a problem because of the assumption that they can’t work.
She said statistics of disabled people indicate only 736 people are employed by the government and that, they have visited 51 extraction factories and witnessed only one employed disabled person.
She said this situation has forced many educated disabled people into the private sector, where they fail to support themselves due to lack of education about this sector.
And the musician of The Seven Blind Beats Band, Boniface Kiyenzi, said if he was President of Tanzania, he would establish a Ministry of People with Special Needs rather than the current situation only of a department of social welfare which doesn’t provide complete services because they are not given adequate grants for the needs of the groups involved.
Many participants contributed to this conference and they recommended emphasising education for groups of people with disabilites; including lame people, the blind, the deaf and albinos. Also, to strengthen communication between various service providers, such as courts, police and hospitals.
Head of Delegation of the European Commission (EU) in Tanzania, Ambassador Tim Clarke, said he hasn’t see any changes in the efforts made to lift the country out of poverty and bring development to its citizens over the last twenty years.
Ambassador Clarke gave this statement at a conference to stand up for those people who are forgotten, recognized as “marginalized groups”, held in the Social Welfare Institute, in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The conference was organised by the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) in cooperation with EU, as part of the 10-year celebrations since the Union was established.
The conference aimed to provide an opportunity to understand these groups, their needs, and how they support themselves and how the EU will be able to assist them out of poverty.
“I came to Tanzania 20 years ago, and then left. The agricultural situation which was in the villages at that time, is still the same. We can’t make economic changes and emerge from poverty without an agricultural revolution,” said Ambassador Clarke.
He highlighted things which must be done to remove poverty including identifying groups which are marginalized, to have one vision and raising voices together in making demands and in bringing changes in the situation in the country.
This statement came from the conference by Ambassador Clarke with the Executive Officer of Tamwa, Ananilea Nkya, after speaking with the ambassador during a short break during conference discussions when each participant was able to exchange ideas with others sitting next to them about how to lift these people from poverty.
Firstly, at this conference Ambassador Clarke stated the EU program in the country aims mainly to help the government reduce poverty.
“Are we really doing this? It’s an important question to ask ourselves, are the poor becoming poorer, and the rich becoming richer?” he asked.
He wanted conference participants and Tanzanians in general to explain clearly to the Union and other development partners how they will be able to improve their live.
“This is your conference. Tell us how we and other development partners can improve your lives,” Ambassador Clarke said.
When presenting on the topic of “the way bribes affect the albino woman” at the conference, an entrepreneur from an albino group, Nasra Mbonea, said the kickbacks have been the main source of murders against people with albinism (albino) in the country because some of the wealthy tempt people to carry out these cruel acts.
She said apart from these cruel murders, some people in the community show stigma towards albino as a result of superstition and backward customs, moreover the cream which helps care for their skin (albino), is sold for a high price.
Nasra said stigma against albinos has reached a very bad stage with their bodies and skin being used by some people as a way to make an economic profit due to backward beliefs.
“If Albinos start a business, like selling food, people don’t buy from them. They avoid even giving them a lift in their car out of fear if there is an accident the person who gave them the lift may appear to be taking them to sell or kill them. Currently there is a belief which has emerged in society that, if you go with (have sex) with an albino you will be cured from AIDS or become rich, we are stigmatized a lot,” said Nasra.
She said if she was the President of Tanzania, she would punish anyone who gets a guilty judgement from court for cutting an albino child, by cutting off both their hands, instead of sentending them to jail, which she said only cares for them by providing food free bought out of citizen’s taxes.
When delivering a presentation about "education for the blind in Tanzania ", Shella Gailos said the actual educational situation is not in line with improvements needed because blind women do not benefit, they are faced with challenges of poor quality learning and teaching equipment; some said Mathematics and Science lessons are not taught in secondary schools for the blind.
In her presentation on the topic of “the situation of disabled people in the economy”, an entrepreneur from the Sebo group in Mikocheni, of Dar es Salaam city, Cecilia Masika, said the economic situation of a person with disability is dismal compared to someone without a disability, especially for women, because many of them don’t receive primary school education.
Also, she said employment for people with disabilities is still a problem because of the assumption that they can’t work.
She said statistics of disabled people indicate only 736 people are employed by the government and that, they have visited 51 extraction factories and witnessed only one employed disabled person.
She said this situation has forced many educated disabled people into the private sector, where they fail to support themselves due to lack of education about this sector.
And the musician of The Seven Blind Beats Band, Boniface Kiyenzi, said if he was President of Tanzania, he would establish a Ministry of People with Special Needs rather than the current situation only of a department of social welfare which doesn’t provide complete services because they are not given adequate grants for the needs of the groups involved.
Many participants contributed to this conference and they recommended emphasising education for groups of people with disabilites; including lame people, the blind, the deaf and albinos. Also, to strengthen communication between various service providers, such as courts, police and hospitals.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Albino Killings have to End
Article courtesy of Daily News newspaper, Tanzania
MORE incidents of albino killings continue to be reported in Tanzania and neighbouring Burundi, giving out signals that the shameful trade in their body parts has not waned despite local and international outrage.
Records show that at least 57 people with albinism were murdered in different parts of the country since 2007 and earlier this week, a 28 year-old albino woman and her four year-old son were killed at a village near the Burundi border with Tanzania.
The two victims had their limbs and organs hacked off by a gang and the boy's non-albino grandfather who intervened to stop them was killed on the spot.
Authorities in Burundi reportedly say there had been a total 14 murders in the central African country so far.
Analysts and human rights activists say these are only the documented cases as the numbers are likely to be much higher.
It is sad that more albinos are still being murdered after seven people linked to the practice were sentenced to death.
Various institutions including the government, religious organisations, media and other stakeholders have for the last three years been involved in public education campaign against the killings.
It is unfortunate that there are some people who believe that albino body parts can be used to concoct lucky or wealth-enhancing charms and killers on many occasions go for limbs, genitals, ears, nose and tongues.
Recent killings should now serve as a wake up call for people to be more vigilant and address the problem by stepping public education and interrogate thoroughly all suspects.
The government should see to it that cases pending in court must be disposed of as soon as possible so that any conviction would serve as a lesson that crime does not pay.
Friday, May 7, 2010
APPETITE FOR ALBINO BODY PARTS CONTINUES UNABATED IN TANZANIA AND BURUNDI: 7 MORE SLAUGHTERED IN JUST WEEKS
Under the Same Sun Press Release - May 5, 2010
It is Sunday May 2, 2010 and night has fallen on the quiet village of Cankunko in the Cendajuru
District in the country of Burundi, bordering Tanzania.
Several hand grenades are strategically launched at a simple homestead, a home where a mother and child with albinism live peacefully. The loud explosion rocks the family from their sleep. Nine armed men rapidly and forcefully engage in a savage rampage. Wielding machetes, they hack off all the limbs they can grab. Their sinister appetite for albino body parts is fueled by a lucrative trade linked to thepractice of witchcraft in the region. Yet to be named, wealthy consumers (commonly referred to as “honorable”) keep this trade alive, believing it will yield them power and wealth. Once the wild, blood thirsty campaign of carnage stops,the murderers emerge with a bag full of fresh and bloody body parts, ready to quickly sell at a handsome profit.
Attacked February 8th, Twelve month old Fatma Mohammed displays the 10 centimeter long scar left by her attackers
The human toll is steep. Four year old Desire Vyegura has lost his life. The killers now have
possession of his tongue, one of his eyes, one of his legs and an arm. Susanna Vyegura, his
28 year old albino mother now lays lifeless, with both legs and arms gone. Both of her breasts
have also been violently chopped from her mutilated body. Her non-albino father bravely tried
to stop the killers, but was overpowered and brutally murdered on the spot, according to
Burundian Police Chief Deogratias Ntahompagaze
A family – wiped out – within minutes – all to supply a sinister industry operating in the area.
In the weeks leading up to this Sunday’s carnage, killers struck 5 more times in Tanzania:
On April 26th
, a 13 year old girl, Kabula Nkalango, was attacked, having her hand hacked off.
Fortunately, she survived. On April 18th
, there was the murder of little four-year old Naimana Daudi. Her body mutilated,
robbed of her left arm and leg, she was left to bleed to death.
On April 10th
, there was the attempted murder of 41 year old Said Abdallah, a quiet farmer, who
had his left hand violently chopped off. He lay unconscious for hours bleeding. He narrowly
survived.
On February 8th
tiny, innocent, 12 month old baby Fatma Mohammed was attacked, sustaining
a 10 centimeter gash along her leg and thigh – in the killer’s vile attempt to dismember her. Her
mother, Rukia, also an albino, received severe head injuries, in their attempt to also dismember
her.
Peter Ash with 12 month old Fatma and her mother Rukia
This brings the total in Tanzania to 57
murders and 6 attempted murders, where
victims lost limbs. In Burundi, the total is 14
murders. These are only the documented
cases. The numbers are likely much higher –
estimates suggesting well over a hundred in
the last 2 years.
On this battlefield stands East Africa’s people
with albinism. Hundreds and Thousands of
them living in a state of total fear. Afraid to
sleep in their homes. Fearful to walk in their
villages. Often unwilling to attend school for
fear of threats and attack.
This continuing crisis has been met with loud cries for justice
by the United Nations, The United States, the European
Union and other nations and civil society groups. Joining
these voices is Under The Same Sun (UTSS), an
International NGO based in Canada, with operations in
Tanzania. UTSS continues to decry these atrocities and to
appeal strongly for justice on behalf of the victims.
Furthermore, UTSS (www.underthesamesun.com) appeals
to these international bodies to become a more unified force,
imploring the Tanzanian government to take stronger action
in this war which is defiling human dignity.
Sadly, justice has been far too slow in coming. Of the 63
reported cases in Tanzania, a mere 2 have been brought to
conviction in the last 2 years. In sharp contrast, 12 of
Burundi’s 14 cases have led to convictions. UTSS has
embarked on a variety of educational campaigns in Tanzania
and internationally to confront the discrimination that fuels
these crimes against humanity.
Attacked April 10th
, 41 year old Said Abdallah
lost his hand and forearm in an attempted
murder
This racially driven carnage must end. The perpetrators must be brought to justice quickly.
People with albinism must be granted the same basic human rights of dignity, freedom and
security. UTSS will not rest until that day comes!
For interview requests, please email: media@underthesamesun.com or telephone: +604-587-6502.
Al-Shaymaa, Kimaya, announce they will run for parliament in the General Elections
This post was translated from Kiswahili by Jean Burke, a friend in the fight against albino killings
Presidentially appointed Member of Parliament, Al-Shaymaa John Kwegyir and Chair of the Albino Society of Tanzania, Ernest Kimaya, who are both people with albinism, have announced their intention to run for parliament in the next General Elections.
Talking with residents of Iringa town yesterday during celebrations for the National Day for People with Albinism in Tanzania held in the grounds of the city Gardens, Kimaya said that he intends to run for parliament in the Korogwe Rural province on a CCM ticket.
He stated he had reached this decision so as to fulfil this year’s slogan, which encourages people to come forward and compete.
This year’s slogan is: “Government Election, Albinos have the right to elect and be elected, Let’s come forward”.
In addressing these residents, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, said he’d been given hints by MP Kwegyir of her intention to run for special seats in Tanga. “She says she is grateful President Kikwete appointed her to parliament and now wants to gain special seats,” he stated.
Pinda called for all citizens including those with albinism, to come forward for election in various posts through their political parties.
He wants Tanzanians to realise that people with albinism have a big contribution to society especially if they are supported by fellow humans who don’t have this disability. The commemorations were also attended by representatives of people with albinism from more than 15 regions in the country.
Presidentially appointed Member of Parliament, Al-Shaymaa John Kwegyir and Chair of the Albino Society of Tanzania, Ernest Kimaya, who are both people with albinism, have announced their intention to run for parliament in the next General Elections.
Talking with residents of Iringa town yesterday during celebrations for the National Day for People with Albinism in Tanzania held in the grounds of the city Gardens, Kimaya said that he intends to run for parliament in the Korogwe Rural province on a CCM ticket.
He stated he had reached this decision so as to fulfil this year’s slogan, which encourages people to come forward and compete.
This year’s slogan is: “Government Election, Albinos have the right to elect and be elected, Let’s come forward”.
In addressing these residents, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, said he’d been given hints by MP Kwegyir of her intention to run for special seats in Tanga. “She says she is grateful President Kikwete appointed her to parliament and now wants to gain special seats,” he stated.
Pinda called for all citizens including those with albinism, to come forward for election in various posts through their political parties.
He wants Tanzanians to realise that people with albinism have a big contribution to society especially if they are supported by fellow humans who don’t have this disability. The commemorations were also attended by representatives of people with albinism from more than 15 regions in the country.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Days for albino murderers numbered
THE Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, declared in Iringa on Tuesday that the days for albino killers are numbered. He was officiating at the National Albino Day marked at national level in the municipality.
Indeed he said that the government has mobilised itself to protect the safety of the albinos and make them live in peace, harmony and freedom in their country, like all other citizens. Why should other people who, out of avarice to become millionaires overnight, infringe upon the rights of others?
It is unfortunate that this should be happening despite the good moral foundations built by the nation’s founding fathers that earned this country much respect as a peaceful country all over the world.
This good image has in recent years been tainted by a few selfish and cruel individuals or group of people who out of their stupid superstitious belief Read More Here
Indeed he said that the government has mobilised itself to protect the safety of the albinos and make them live in peace, harmony and freedom in their country, like all other citizens. Why should other people who, out of avarice to become millionaires overnight, infringe upon the rights of others?
It is unfortunate that this should be happening despite the good moral foundations built by the nation’s founding fathers that earned this country much respect as a peaceful country all over the world.
This good image has in recent years been tainted by a few selfish and cruel individuals or group of people who out of their stupid superstitious belief Read More Here
Crusade against albino killings must continue
Article courtesy of The Guardian newspaper (Tanzania) 5th May, 2010
Yesterday, May 4 was a solemn day for Tanzanians. It was a day specifically set to remember fellow countrymen and women with albinism who have fallen victims to inhuman killings by people who still believe in superstitions and witchcraft.
It was a day meant to accord an opportunity to the government and the people of this country to undertake a deep assessment on whether they are on the path to taming the inhuman and shameful scourge of albino killings that have done a telling damage to the image of Tanzania.
But more importantly, it was a day on which the government and its people were required to rededicate their commitment to fully supporting people with albinism and safeguard their right to harmonious and threats-free livelihood
We are heartened to note that Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda who graced the occasion at the national commemorations held in Iringa made it clear to all and sundry that while the war against albino killers was not yet won, those who perpetrated the crime should know that their days are numbered.
The Premier told a mass rally that the government was committed to ensuring that albino killings remained history in the not distant future.
We, however, wish to remind Tanzanians that the government alone cannot win this war against cruelty by a human being against another. For this war to be won, there are many potential stakeholders who must be brought fully on-board.
One of the potential stakeholders are religious leaders who are essentially major opinion leaders in any society. They live and work with the people at the grassroots, and together with other influential people in society can tame the traditional healers who are the instigators of this heinous crime.
Religious leaders can also work with non-governmental organizations to preach love among human beings and openly tell those who cling to outdated witchcraft beliefs that albino body parts are not and will never be the wonder miracle to getting rich.
What must be underscored is that although significant steps have been made in the fight against albino killers, a lot remains to be done.
Figures released yesterday indicate that a total of 97,736 people were voted for in a nation-wide poll conducted last year to be involved in various criminal activities, including killing people living with albinism.
While investigations to determine the way forward are ongoing, a total of 3,217 suspected criminals are already in police hands, 295 had been arraigned while 106 have been sentenced on various crimes including involvement in albino killings.
However, only 11 cases involving suspected albino killers have been brought to court out of which three cases had ended with eight people being convicted and sentenced to death and investigations into other 27 incidents of albino killings are ongoing.
As we have had occasion to state, this is in no way a satisfactory performance. This calls for the need to strengthen investigative machinery into these cases of brutality against human beings. This should go hand in hand with mass sensitization that would wipe off the notion that one can get rich by chopping off the hand of a person living with albinism.
Yesterday, May 4 was a solemn day for Tanzanians. It was a day specifically set to remember fellow countrymen and women with albinism who have fallen victims to inhuman killings by people who still believe in superstitions and witchcraft.
It was a day meant to accord an opportunity to the government and the people of this country to undertake a deep assessment on whether they are on the path to taming the inhuman and shameful scourge of albino killings that have done a telling damage to the image of Tanzania.
But more importantly, it was a day on which the government and its people were required to rededicate their commitment to fully supporting people with albinism and safeguard their right to harmonious and threats-free livelihood
We are heartened to note that Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda who graced the occasion at the national commemorations held in Iringa made it clear to all and sundry that while the war against albino killers was not yet won, those who perpetrated the crime should know that their days are numbered.
The Premier told a mass rally that the government was committed to ensuring that albino killings remained history in the not distant future.
We, however, wish to remind Tanzanians that the government alone cannot win this war against cruelty by a human being against another. For this war to be won, there are many potential stakeholders who must be brought fully on-board.
One of the potential stakeholders are religious leaders who are essentially major opinion leaders in any society. They live and work with the people at the grassroots, and together with other influential people in society can tame the traditional healers who are the instigators of this heinous crime.
Religious leaders can also work with non-governmental organizations to preach love among human beings and openly tell those who cling to outdated witchcraft beliefs that albino body parts are not and will never be the wonder miracle to getting rich.
What must be underscored is that although significant steps have been made in the fight against albino killers, a lot remains to be done.
Figures released yesterday indicate that a total of 97,736 people were voted for in a nation-wide poll conducted last year to be involved in various criminal activities, including killing people living with albinism.
While investigations to determine the way forward are ongoing, a total of 3,217 suspected criminals are already in police hands, 295 had been arraigned while 106 have been sentenced on various crimes including involvement in albino killings.
However, only 11 cases involving suspected albino killers have been brought to court out of which three cases had ended with eight people being convicted and sentenced to death and investigations into other 27 incidents of albino killings are ongoing.
As we have had occasion to state, this is in no way a satisfactory performance. This calls for the need to strengthen investigative machinery into these cases of brutality against human beings. This should go hand in hand with mass sensitization that would wipe off the notion that one can get rich by chopping off the hand of a person living with albinism.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Another Albino attacked this week!
This Monday April 26th, Thirteen year old girl Kabula Nkalango of Luhaga village in Kahama, North-Western Tanzania (Lake Zone) was attacked by three men in her home as she was sleeping with her mother.
Her right hand was chopped off from just above the elbow and is now being treated at the Kahama District Hospital. Her condition is stable. Kahama District Commissioner, retired Major Bahati Matala speaking on the phone to UTSS (Under the Same Sun) Executive Director of Media and International Affairs said that the assailants from Bukombe terrorized the occupiers of the four houses in the compound, and committed the barbaric crime.
They then ordered the family to pour kerosene on the girl’s severed arm ‘to stop bleeding’. When they could not find kerosene, they broke into a shop nearby stole the liquid, handed it to the family members and sped off. Major Bahati informed UTSS Media that two other young men were also injured in the night attack as the machete and other weapons armed attackers raided a nearby shopping centre for cash, telephones and bicycles. Police manhunt is underway.
Her right hand was chopped off from just above the elbow and is now being treated at the Kahama District Hospital. Her condition is stable. Kahama District Commissioner, retired Major Bahati Matala speaking on the phone to UTSS (Under the Same Sun) Executive Director of Media and International Affairs said that the assailants from Bukombe terrorized the occupiers of the four houses in the compound, and committed the barbaric crime.
They then ordered the family to pour kerosene on the girl’s severed arm ‘to stop bleeding’. When they could not find kerosene, they broke into a shop nearby stole the liquid, handed it to the family members and sped off. Major Bahati informed UTSS Media that two other young men were also injured in the night attack as the machete and other weapons armed attackers raided a nearby shopping centre for cash, telephones and bicycles. Police manhunt is underway.
The hired attackers are told now to ensure that they do not kill the victims. Kabula's assailants told her mother, “Please do not blame us. We have been sent to get the arm.” So they made sure that Kabula does not bleed to death. No blood on their hands!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Albino murders return
This news article was translated by Jean Burke from Nipashe, a Kiswahili newspaper in Tanzania. It is about the recent killing of an albino child.
At the same time that the wave of murders against people with albinism has died down over recent months, a little girl of four years of age was murdered and her limbs cut off in the village of Kasebuzi, of Kitahana ward, Kibondo district in Kigoma Region.
The District commissioner of Kibondo, Danhi Makanga stated that the child who was murdered was Naimana Daudi who was taken in the dead of night by those killers after puncturing the wall and entering inside where she was asleep with her parents and other relatives.
He said after taking the girl and carrying her a distance of about six hundred meters the people cut off her left leg and arm then disappeared with those limbs and left the child bleeding so the body was found with lots of blood draining out.
Makanga who leads the security and safety committee of this district, has explained to hundreds of locals of the village that the government will hunt for those killers by all means and that this event has shocked the government because of the brutality carried out on this child.
Following this incident the district commissioner of Kibondo district called for a referendum right then and there in which locals participated to nominate people suspected of involvement and who often receive strange visitors in the village.
The child’s father, Daud Juma who also has another albino child aged one and a half years old said they were all sleeping in the room, and they didn’t know what was going on until the time of five in the morning when they wanted to wake the children up to pass water and then they discovered that their child was not inside.
When discussing this, with tears springing up, he said they started shouting for help and when the neighbours woke up they reported to the police who arrived and started working with the villagers following the stream of blood until they found the child’s body which had been abandoned with the left leg and arm cut off.
The head of investigations of Kigoma region, Joseph Konyo said that up to now three people, whose names are withheld, have been arrested by the Kigoma regional police force suspected of involvement in this incident.
This incident takes the number of people with albinism murdered in the Kigoma region since the year before last to reach four.
At the same time that the wave of murders against people with albinism has died down over recent months, a little girl of four years of age was murdered and her limbs cut off in the village of Kasebuzi, of Kitahana ward, Kibondo district in Kigoma Region.
The District commissioner of Kibondo, Danhi Makanga stated that the child who was murdered was Naimana Daudi who was taken in the dead of night by those killers after puncturing the wall and entering inside where she was asleep with her parents and other relatives.
He said after taking the girl and carrying her a distance of about six hundred meters the people cut off her left leg and arm then disappeared with those limbs and left the child bleeding so the body was found with lots of blood draining out.
Makanga who leads the security and safety committee of this district, has explained to hundreds of locals of the village that the government will hunt for those killers by all means and that this event has shocked the government because of the brutality carried out on this child.
Following this incident the district commissioner of Kibondo district called for a referendum right then and there in which locals participated to nominate people suspected of involvement and who often receive strange visitors in the village.
The child’s father, Daud Juma who also has another albino child aged one and a half years old said they were all sleeping in the room, and they didn’t know what was going on until the time of five in the morning when they wanted to wake the children up to pass water and then they discovered that their child was not inside.
When discussing this, with tears springing up, he said they started shouting for help and when the neighbours woke up they reported to the police who arrived and started working with the villagers following the stream of blood until they found the child’s body which had been abandoned with the left leg and arm cut off.
The head of investigations of Kigoma region, Joseph Konyo said that up to now three people, whose names are withheld, have been arrested by the Kigoma regional police force suspected of involvement in this incident.
This incident takes the number of people with albinism murdered in the Kigoma region since the year before last to reach four.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Mengi calls for faster hearing of albino murder cases
...as Under the Same Sun (UTSS)launches documentary film on albino killings in the country
Story courtesy of The Guardian Newspaper, Tanzania (April 23, 2010)
IPP Executive Chairman Reginald Mengi has appealed to courts in Tanzania to speed up the hearing of cases involving suspected albino killers so that justice can be done.
He made the call at yesterday’s launch in Dar es Salaam of a documentary film on albino killings in the country prepared by a non-governmental organisation, Under the Same Sun (UTSS).
He said courts were supposed to speed up the process of dealing with cases involving the murder of albinos so that those targeted by the killers can also feel that they have rights just like people who have no disabilities.
“It is hugely unnerving seeing albinos being brutally killed and others having their hands and limbs chopped off, which is evidence of stigmatisation and discrimination in our society and a disgrace before the Lord,” said the IPP Executive Chairman.
He also urged human rights activists to fight for strict observance of the country’s laws, including the rights of people with albinism, and push for justice in all cases of suspected albino killers.
He wondered why albinos were being stigmatised instead of being loved, and called on society to seek an end to albino killings “in the knowledge that all human beings belong to God and have the right to live”.
“Every person is responsible for caring for albinos and stopping the stigmatisation and discrimination which have resulted in their vicious murders,” he said.
UTSS founder and chairman Peter Ash from Canada, currently on yet another working visit to Tanzania, concurred. He said people with skin disability had as much right to live as any other person and it would be totally unfair to stigmatise them.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Not enough done to protect albinos
Editorial courtesy of The Guardian Newspaper [20th April, 2010]
The spate of albino killings that have rocked the country since 2007 leading to the loss of an estimated 53 innocent lives have done a telling blow to the image of Tanzania to the extent that only a total and successful war against the perpetrators of this heinous crime can repair the damage.
By hunting down and killing persons with albinism in such brutal manner as chopping off their limbs in the belief that the body parts would give one supernatural powers to make quick riches have made Tanzanians be perceived as a society of 21st century savages.
It is an unfortunate position we have found ourselves in as a nation, but which we believe we can disentangle ourselves from if we make hard decisions and execute them decisively.
The actions we have in mind are those that will act as a deterrent against further attacks on the innocent people whose only ‘crime’ is the colour of their skin.
It is precisely because of the need to bring to an end these atrocities that people all over the country had warmly received the February 1, 2010 court ruling in which four men were sentenced to death for albino killings.
The expectations of many people then were that the court ruling would discourage further violent acts being carried out against albinos.
Disappointedly, this has not been the case, and as the President of a Canada-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Peter Ash said over the weekend the killings are now moving closer to the country’s business capital Dar es Salaam which has hitherto been seen as a safe haven for those running away from the dangerous areas in the rural areas.
The Canadian who heads an NGO named Under the Sun (UTSS) and which is committed to the welfare of persons with albinism in Tanzania is of the view that the government has been rather slow in dealing with cases of albino killings.
We agree with Ash’s observation, since the truth remains that out of the 61 cases of albino killings reported in different courts in the country, there are only two convictions so far. At this speed we wonder how long it would take to see justice not only being done but also seen to be done.
We wish to call on the government to speed up the prosecution of all the pending cases. This we believe will act as a deterrent against those who believe they can kill people at will and go scot free.
Most worrying is that the judicial procedures are moving at a snail’s pace when fresh perpetrations are now being reported in areas such as Morogoro and Coast regions, with fears that Dar es Salaam may sooner than later be another scene of man-to-man brutality.
The spate of albino killings that have rocked the country since 2007 leading to the loss of an estimated 53 innocent lives have done a telling blow to the image of Tanzania to the extent that only a total and successful war against the perpetrators of this heinous crime can repair the damage.
By hunting down and killing persons with albinism in such brutal manner as chopping off their limbs in the belief that the body parts would give one supernatural powers to make quick riches have made Tanzanians be perceived as a society of 21st century savages.
It is an unfortunate position we have found ourselves in as a nation, but which we believe we can disentangle ourselves from if we make hard decisions and execute them decisively.
The actions we have in mind are those that will act as a deterrent against further attacks on the innocent people whose only ‘crime’ is the colour of their skin.
It is precisely because of the need to bring to an end these atrocities that people all over the country had warmly received the February 1, 2010 court ruling in which four men were sentenced to death for albino killings.
The expectations of many people then were that the court ruling would discourage further violent acts being carried out against albinos.
Disappointedly, this has not been the case, and as the President of a Canada-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Peter Ash said over the weekend the killings are now moving closer to the country’s business capital Dar es Salaam which has hitherto been seen as a safe haven for those running away from the dangerous areas in the rural areas.
The Canadian who heads an NGO named Under the Sun (UTSS) and which is committed to the welfare of persons with albinism in Tanzania is of the view that the government has been rather slow in dealing with cases of albino killings.
We agree with Ash’s observation, since the truth remains that out of the 61 cases of albino killings reported in different courts in the country, there are only two convictions so far. At this speed we wonder how long it would take to see justice not only being done but also seen to be done.
We wish to call on the government to speed up the prosecution of all the pending cases. This we believe will act as a deterrent against those who believe they can kill people at will and go scot free.
Most worrying is that the judicial procedures are moving at a snail’s pace when fresh perpetrations are now being reported in areas such as Morogoro and Coast regions, with fears that Dar es Salaam may sooner than later be another scene of man-to-man brutality.
We therefore join UTSS and other stakeholders in appealing to the government not to backtrack on its obligation to provide additional security to people with albinism because it is now evident that they are still targeted for their body parts.
We also wish to commend the Canadian NGO for targeting nine regions to support education for people with albinism and call on other local and international institutions to emulate this goodwill.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Albinos still under threat
News story courtesy of The Guardian Newspaper, Tanzania (12th April, 2010)
A shocking reminder that people with albinism were still at risk, Maasai pastoralists are alleged to have cut off the palm of a man suffering from the skin disorder in Morogoro Region on Saturday.
The incident which occurred at around 4.15pm at Kibaoni village, Melela ward in Mvomero district, left Said Abdalah (41) without a palm on the left hand.
He was rushed to Morogoro Regional Hospital where he is being treated for the wounds sustained in the attack.
Morogoro Regional Commissioner Issa Machibya confirmed the incident, saying police have launched a manhunt for the attackers.
Machibya said it was the first time an albino was being attacked in the region since the attacks and killings started around the country in 2007, leading to the killings of more than 40 albinos for their body parts and organs.
Police in the region were working hard to arrest the alleged attackers, according the Regional Police Commander Thobias Andengenye when contacted by The Guardian.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Abdallah said he was attacked by four machete-wielding people who had followed him to his farm.
The people carrying machete and sticks hit him on the head, rendering him unconscious, before cutting off his palm.
When he regained consciousness, he was shocked to find his palm missing. He was also bleeding profusely.
“I started crying for help, attracting the attention of a woman passing by the farm, who took me home,” said Abdallah.
However when he reached home he was not able to get any First Aid because he lived alone.
The chairman of Kibaoni hamlet, Asikile Yuda and Good Samaritans helped him to get to hospital for treatment after reporting to the central police where Abdalah was issued with a PF3 Form.
Abdallah said that he had earlier been threatened by pastoralists when he warned them against passing with their livestock through his farm because they destroyed crops.
He said that many pastoralists had invaded the village threatening farmers while their livestock destroyed crops in the farms.
The Secretary General of Tanzania Albino Association Ziada Nsembo said albinos were still unsafe because the attacks had stopped for about eight months but it seems that they had resurfaced.
“Those people who are attacking albinos seem not to fear anything because the death penalty against those who have killed albinos has not been carried out,” she said.
Nsembo said his association was requesting the government to implement the court ruling so that it may serve as a deterrent against those planning to carry out similar acts.
The Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Issa Machibya told The Guardian that the region’s defence and security committee had started discussing the matter to look for ways to arrest the problem before more killings occurred.
He said he had been alerted over looming albino killings and had taken the matter seriously.
“We will heighten vigilance and make sure all albinos in the region are safe and all those planning to attack them are arrested,” the RC said.
For his part, the Kibaoni hamlet chairperson, Yuda said that he had received the complaints and was working on them.
He said that he and his men had carried out a search but they were not able to locate the missing palm.
He noted that it was the first incident to occur in their village despite prevailing bad blood between farmers and pastoralists.
He said that with the help of the government, they would strengthen security in the village in order to arrest the culprits and reassure the albinos who now feared for the lives.
*Man`s palm chopped off by alleged Maasai pastoralists
*It is Morogoro region`s first case since albino killings started
A shocking reminder that people with albinism were still at risk, Maasai pastoralists are alleged to have cut off the palm of a man suffering from the skin disorder in Morogoro Region on Saturday.
The incident which occurred at around 4.15pm at Kibaoni village, Melela ward in Mvomero district, left Said Abdalah (41) without a palm on the left hand.
He was rushed to Morogoro Regional Hospital where he is being treated for the wounds sustained in the attack.
Morogoro Regional Commissioner Issa Machibya confirmed the incident, saying police have launched a manhunt for the attackers.
Machibya said it was the first time an albino was being attacked in the region since the attacks and killings started around the country in 2007, leading to the killings of more than 40 albinos for their body parts and organs.
Police in the region were working hard to arrest the alleged attackers, according the Regional Police Commander Thobias Andengenye when contacted by The Guardian.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Abdallah said he was attacked by four machete-wielding people who had followed him to his farm.
The people carrying machete and sticks hit him on the head, rendering him unconscious, before cutting off his palm.
When he regained consciousness, he was shocked to find his palm missing. He was also bleeding profusely.
“I started crying for help, attracting the attention of a woman passing by the farm, who took me home,” said Abdallah.
However when he reached home he was not able to get any First Aid because he lived alone.
The chairman of Kibaoni hamlet, Asikile Yuda and Good Samaritans helped him to get to hospital for treatment after reporting to the central police where Abdalah was issued with a PF3 Form.
Abdallah said that he had earlier been threatened by pastoralists when he warned them against passing with their livestock through his farm because they destroyed crops.
He said that many pastoralists had invaded the village threatening farmers while their livestock destroyed crops in the farms.
The Secretary General of Tanzania Albino Association Ziada Nsembo said albinos were still unsafe because the attacks had stopped for about eight months but it seems that they had resurfaced.
“Those people who are attacking albinos seem not to fear anything because the death penalty against those who have killed albinos has not been carried out,” she said.
Nsembo said his association was requesting the government to implement the court ruling so that it may serve as a deterrent against those planning to carry out similar acts.
The Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Issa Machibya told The Guardian that the region’s defence and security committee had started discussing the matter to look for ways to arrest the problem before more killings occurred.
He said he had been alerted over looming albino killings and had taken the matter seriously.
“We will heighten vigilance and make sure all albinos in the region are safe and all those planning to attack them are arrested,” the RC said.
For his part, the Kibaoni hamlet chairperson, Yuda said that he had received the complaints and was working on them.
He said that he and his men had carried out a search but they were not able to locate the missing palm.
He noted that it was the first incident to occur in their village despite prevailing bad blood between farmers and pastoralists.
He said that with the help of the government, they would strengthen security in the village in order to arrest the culprits and reassure the albinos who now feared for the lives.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Albino child attacked with machete while on mother’s back
This article first appeared in Nipashe(a Kiswahili newspaper)on 13th February, 2010 and was translated into English by Jean Burke
An albino infant Fatuma Khalfani (1) was admitted to Tumbi hospital of the Coast region after being seriously injured on her left leg by people suspected of being traders of albino-body parts.
According to the mother, Rukia Khalfani (32), resident of Ruvu of Bagamoyo district, the incident took place at the end of last week when she was outside her home at about 9 pm whilst carrying her child on her back.
Rukia said that when outside, she was suddenly attacked with machetes on her back where her child was being carried, which injured her child on the thigh.
She said she cried out for help but the person attacked with the machete again injuring her child behind the left knee.
"I ran inside but that person, wearing Maasai clothes, continued to follow and hit me with an axe on my thigh and face and then my husband, Mohamed Hussein,who was inside the house, went outside and looked around everywhere but couldn’t see anyone.
She said they then rang the police and went to the Teule hospital for treatment.
Rukia, mother of five children of whom two are albino, has appealed to the government to consider the possibility of renting a room for them outside the area because she is frightened to return to her house due to the frequent threats following the recent emerging wave of albino murders.
"We are progressing well with treatment, and I thank the nurses and doctors, but I fear that when I am discharged, I don’t know where I will go. I am very scared to return. My house is behind a large forest, so I am not at peace because there have been frequent threats that I and my child could be killed."
The Police Commander of the Coast region, Absalom Mwakyoma, said police are investigating this incident to find out whether the attacker was an albino-murderer or an armed robber.
An albino infant Fatuma Khalfani (1) was admitted to Tumbi hospital of the Coast region after being seriously injured on her left leg by people suspected of being traders of albino-body parts.
According to the mother, Rukia Khalfani (32), resident of Ruvu of Bagamoyo district, the incident took place at the end of last week when she was outside her home at about 9 pm whilst carrying her child on her back.
Rukia said that when outside, she was suddenly attacked with machetes on her back where her child was being carried, which injured her child on the thigh.
She said she cried out for help but the person attacked with the machete again injuring her child behind the left knee.
"I ran inside but that person, wearing Maasai clothes, continued to follow and hit me with an axe on my thigh and face and then my husband, Mohamed Hussein,who was inside the house, went outside and looked around everywhere but couldn’t see anyone.
She said they then rang the police and went to the Teule hospital for treatment.
Rukia, mother of five children of whom two are albino, has appealed to the government to consider the possibility of renting a room for them outside the area because she is frightened to return to her house due to the frequent threats following the recent emerging wave of albino murders.
"We are progressing well with treatment, and I thank the nurses and doctors, but I fear that when I am discharged, I don’t know where I will go. I am very scared to return. My house is behind a large forest, so I am not at peace because there have been frequent threats that I and my child could be killed."
The Police Commander of the Coast region, Absalom Mwakyoma, said police are investigating this incident to find out whether the attacker was an albino-murderer or an armed robber.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Two caught selling albino body parts
POLICE in Kagera Region have arrested two people who were allegedly looking for a customer of albino body parts.
Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC) Henry Salewi told reports in Bukoba that the suspects were arrested with the human body parts....
Read the Rest Here
Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC) Henry Salewi told reports in Bukoba that the suspects were arrested with the human body parts....
''The suspects were arrested on Wednesday (February 3). The arrest was made after police got a tip that two residents of Ngara were looking for someone to buy albino body parts"...
...there is an international
criminal network involving suspects in Tanzania and neighbouring Burundi...
Read the Rest Here
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
ALBINO KILLINGS: Obama asked to put pressure on Kikwete
Mariamu Stanford talking to a journalistAn American Congressman wants President Barack Obama to put diplomatic pressure on the Kikwete Government to end the albino killings in parts of the country...
The American politician is using the opportunity to raise international attention on the menace in Tanzania, in which over 50 albinos have been killed in the last four years in an orgy fuelled by witchcraft-related beliefs. Some 28 albinos were slaughtered in 2008 alone, according to official government figures...
During her stay in the US, Mariamu and fellow albinos from Northern Virginia met with Mr Connolly, who pledged to introduce a House Resolution, condemning the attacks on people with albinism in East Africa, and to work with American and Tanzanian government officials to stop the killings.
Mariamu travelled to the US last December for two weeks and was fitted with artificial arms donated by Mr Elliot Weintrob of Orthotic Prosthetic Centre in Fairfax, Virginia, and she also underwent intensive physical therapy.
She also met Ms Susan DuBois, who has since formed an organisation in her name and dedicated it to ending the slaughter of people with albinism in East Africa.
The "Asante Mariam" organisation launched in Virginia last week will campaign to increase awareness of the immediate and long-term threats to albinos East Africa.
"As a mother of two children with albinism, I was deeply shaken when I first heard about the killings in Tanzania," said Ms DuBois, the founder and executive director of "Asante Mariamu."
Read the Rest of the ARTICLE HERE
Read Also
Read how this blog first told the Mariam Stanford tragedy
Monday, February 1, 2010
Life, for Mariam Stanford, will never be the same again
Story courtesy of The Guardian on Sunday (31st January, 2010)
The 28-year-old woman whose hands were chopped off in a gruesome albino attack in October 2008 is currently in the United States undergoing treatment to receive prosthetic arms.
Mariam Stanford has suffered tremendous strife since thugs left her for dead in her home in Ntubeye village, Ngara district, and made off with her hands, presumably to sell on the black market to those who believe albino body parts bring good luck.
The most basic daily activities that most take for granted are now arduous procedures for Stanford, requiring tremendous patience and poise.
For example, to make a phone call, she slowly places her lips to her cell phone like someone preparing to kiss a lover, and she then dials the number using her mouth before maneuvering the phone to her ears to listen.
Stanford, the mother of a 3-year-old son, now depends on her mother for help doing most things around the house, she said in a recent interview.
"I can't feed myself, I can't wash myself, can't cook or farm,” she said, glancing at the remains of hands. "My life will never be the same again.”
Although Stanford was suffering when she spoke with The Guardian on Sunday just a couple of months ago, a ‘good Samaritan’ flew her to the United States in early December to receive treatment and prosthetic arms, she said. She is expected to return to Tanzania early next month with fully functional mechanical hands.
But no amount of medical treatment will erase the memory of Stanford’s attack that night, on October 18, 2008. Stanford, who was three months pregnant at the time, had eaten dinner with her family before wishing them a good night like any other nights, but little did she know that one of her neighbours was planning to kill her that night.
“What pains me more is that the very same neighbour who has lived near me for years is the one who did this to me,” Stanford said. “Though as a Christian I am taught to forgive seven times seventy, whenever I look at my chopped hands, it becomes very hard for me to forgive those who attacked me. Hopefully God will judge them one day in heaven.”
Though she had been horrified by the killings of albinos that had been escalating in Tanzania's Lake Victoria region, Stanford had never imagined that her neighbour whom she had known for two decades, would see her body as a source of profit.
In her tiny grass-roofed and mud-built house, Stanford locked the doors and went to bed with her two younger sisters and her son, expecting to wake up safely in the morning ready to continue with daily activities.
"It was around 1am or midnight when I heard people knocking roughly on my door, before they managed to get inside my house," she recalled.
"I tried to cry for help but suddenly my eyes met a sharp torch's light...I saw my neighbour holding a bush knife which he used to attack me."
"He cut my left hand — I cried for help but fell down on the floor before he cut my right hand," Stanford said. “I saw my death coming...I tried to shout loudly for my parents, but no one came."
"I didn't know that when my attacker entered my room, the others had surrounded my parents' house to ensure that nobody came to help me," she said.
After the killers left with Stanford’s hands, her parents finally rushed into her house ready to help, but they were shocked to find her lying in a pool of her own blood.
"I told them that I know my attacker...he is our neighbour," she said. "My parents quickly went to his home and found this man trembling with fresh blood stains on his clothes...they arrested and beat him but he declined to disclose who his accomplices were."
It took nearly five hours to get Stanford to the nearby hospital for treatment. She suffered a miscarriage because of the ordeal.
“That’s how I escaped from hell,” she said as she finished her harrowing account, adding that she is disappointed that over a year since she was attacked the suspects are yet to be convicted. The albino attacks may have stopped recently, but the devastation they have caused still haunts hundreds of victims and their families.
Stanford’s biggest fear is that some of the suspects, who are currently out of jail, may return to kill her before they stand to testify in court in the next few months.
The 28-year-old woman whose hands were chopped off in a gruesome albino attack in October 2008 is currently in the United States undergoing treatment to receive prosthetic arms.
Mariam Stanford has suffered tremendous strife since thugs left her for dead in her home in Ntubeye village, Ngara district, and made off with her hands, presumably to sell on the black market to those who believe albino body parts bring good luck.
The most basic daily activities that most take for granted are now arduous procedures for Stanford, requiring tremendous patience and poise.
For example, to make a phone call, she slowly places her lips to her cell phone like someone preparing to kiss a lover, and she then dials the number using her mouth before maneuvering the phone to her ears to listen.
Stanford, the mother of a 3-year-old son, now depends on her mother for help doing most things around the house, she said in a recent interview.
"I can't feed myself, I can't wash myself, can't cook or farm,” she said, glancing at the remains of hands. "My life will never be the same again.”
Although Stanford was suffering when she spoke with The Guardian on Sunday just a couple of months ago, a ‘good Samaritan’ flew her to the United States in early December to receive treatment and prosthetic arms, she said. She is expected to return to Tanzania early next month with fully functional mechanical hands.
But no amount of medical treatment will erase the memory of Stanford’s attack that night, on October 18, 2008. Stanford, who was three months pregnant at the time, had eaten dinner with her family before wishing them a good night like any other nights, but little did she know that one of her neighbours was planning to kill her that night.
“What pains me more is that the very same neighbour who has lived near me for years is the one who did this to me,” Stanford said. “Though as a Christian I am taught to forgive seven times seventy, whenever I look at my chopped hands, it becomes very hard for me to forgive those who attacked me. Hopefully God will judge them one day in heaven.”
Though she had been horrified by the killings of albinos that had been escalating in Tanzania's Lake Victoria region, Stanford had never imagined that her neighbour whom she had known for two decades, would see her body as a source of profit.
In her tiny grass-roofed and mud-built house, Stanford locked the doors and went to bed with her two younger sisters and her son, expecting to wake up safely in the morning ready to continue with daily activities.
But on that day her name was on the killers' list who were promised Shs 6 million ($4400) if they could manage to get away with Stanford’s body organs.
"It was around 1am or midnight when I heard people knocking roughly on my door, before they managed to get inside my house," she recalled.
"I tried to cry for help but suddenly my eyes met a sharp torch's light...I saw my neighbour holding a bush knife which he used to attack me."
"He cut my left hand — I cried for help but fell down on the floor before he cut my right hand," Stanford said. “I saw my death coming...I tried to shout loudly for my parents, but no one came."
"I didn't know that when my attacker entered my room, the others had surrounded my parents' house to ensure that nobody came to help me," she said.
After the killers left with Stanford’s hands, her parents finally rushed into her house ready to help, but they were shocked to find her lying in a pool of her own blood.
"I told them that I know my attacker...he is our neighbour," she said. "My parents quickly went to his home and found this man trembling with fresh blood stains on his clothes...they arrested and beat him but he declined to disclose who his accomplices were."
It took nearly five hours to get Stanford to the nearby hospital for treatment. She suffered a miscarriage because of the ordeal.
“That’s how I escaped from hell,” she said as she finished her harrowing account, adding that she is disappointed that over a year since she was attacked the suspects are yet to be convicted. The albino attacks may have stopped recently, but the devastation they have caused still haunts hundreds of victims and their families.
Stanford’s biggest fear is that some of the suspects, who are currently out of jail, may return to kill her before they stand to testify in court in the next few months.
“These are very powerful people who have money…I still fear that they might come after me one day,” she said. “Look at where I live right now, there’s nothing that can stop them from reaching me except God…I have left everything to God.”
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