Black and White, Sort Of

You may not believe it, but sometimes things just don’t make much sense. For example, in my on-going search for arcane and trivial information about our arcane and trivial world, I came across a reference to a report published by the Red Cross entitled “Through Albino Eyes - The plight of albino people in Africa’s Great Lakes region and a Red Cross response.” (http://www.ifrc.org/docs/pubs/discrimination/AlbinoPDF4.pdf). This informative 13 page report full of glossy pictures and a lovely map basically informs us that the albinos of Burundi and Tanzania are being murdered for their body parts. What is just a touch weird is that their kidneys are not being stolen for rich Africans on dialysis and the perpetrators are not brain-hungry zombies, but rather the albinos are victims of freelance ghouls who supply an occult demand for the supposedly magical pieces of albinos. The report says that the albino body parts are thought by some to bring wealth and luck. This seems somewhat counter-intuitive to me, since the previous owner of the parts didn’t experience a positive outcome, but who am I to argue with the wisdom of ignorance.

Albinism is a genetic condition resulting from the body’s failure to produce an enzyme necessary to the production of the pigment melanin. It affects all vertebrates to some extent and is generally characterized by its sufferers looking a little pink. In humans, albinism is associated with increased risk of sun damage to skin and the advent of skin cancer, as well as increased sensitivity to light and various vision problems. Albinism is not known to be related to other health concerns, unless you happen to live in Tanzania, but looking sort of like a weird, pinkish vampire thing must present a host of social challenges. About one in 17,000 people has some form of albinism.

Albinism is statistically no more pronounced in Burundi and Tanzania than elsewhere and there is no previous tradition of albinos being dismembered for lucky charms, but for some unknown reason (according to the report) the demand for the body parts of albinos has recently exploded. The Red Cross speculates that this is the result of a sophisticated marketing campaign by witch doctors in the region, launched in response to difficult economic times. The basic strategy, which we have seen with things like Crocs, Hello Kitty and vanity surgery, is to convince you that you cannot live without something useless and often repulsive. Apparently Exxon and the Hair Club for Men have nothing on our brothers in the rural paradise of Central Africa when it comes to amoral profit mongering. The report states that “a complete set of albino body parts, including all four limbs, genitals, ears, tongue and nose” goes for about $75,000. It would seem that anybody than can afford to spring for the full Monty in a country where the annual per capita Gross Domestic Product is $1400.00 probably doesn’t need a good luck charm, but hey, some people are greedy.

The result of this recent uptick in the albino parts market is, of course, a modicum of unease on the part of the region’s albinos. Let’s face it; if you are an albino in Equatorial Africa, it is probably a difficult proposition to go unnoticed. It should also be noted that there is a very good reason that most of Africa’s denizens are dark-skinned and albinos in Burundi and Tanzania already have a tough row to hoe between the unforgiving sun and looking somewhat less than standard, so being hunted for your body parts adds considerable insult to injury. Many of the region’s albinos are in hiding; many have been abandoned by their families due to the security risk they pose and many are wards of the region’s charitable organizations. The albinos in Burundi and Tanzania already often die in early adulthood due to skin cancer, and they experience reduced educational and employment opportunities because of vision issues, so murder and dismemberment is just another step along the happy trail to heaven.

I’m not really sure what we can do about all this; certainly giving the Red Cross some money would be a good start, but the world is so full of misery I often despair about correcting any of it. Following in Pope Kiril’s footsteps, I could liquidate all my worldly holdings and perhaps make some brief improvement in the lives of a few, but my wife and children would probably take exception and only about 37 percent of it would eventually reach the intended target, not to mention that I am likely already too addicted to comfort to give it up, no matter how superficially dismayed I am at the plight of the albinos. There is, however, one relatively painless course of action which may be of benefit, at least in the long run. Let’s all just decide to quit believing in witches and ghosts and lucky talismans and salvation by grace and virgins in paradise and psychic detectives and the myriad other idiocies which confuse the weak-minded and comfort the charlatan. Let’s just put aside childish fantasy and be adults and leave the damned creepy looking albinos alone.