Day 20: Corona Racism; additional stigmatization for people with Albinism
There are two possible scenarios of how the world could change once the pandemic is over.
Would all the “social distancing” actually bring us closer together? Or would it result in the opposite? For some groups, a new threat has become a reality; Corona racism, a different kind of virus that seems to cross any boundary.
In the USA, it is the Chinese who are most affected by this new, specific form of racism. Cheered on by the world’s most powerful man, who calls Covid-19 a “China virus,” American citizens who are of Asian origin are being discriminated, denied hotel accommodation and accused of spreading the Corona Virus.
In China, it is the Africans who are currently not much better off. There are many Nigerian businessmen who have found a new home in China, who although had paid their rent, are being kicked out of their homes. In some cities, there are more and more African homeless people who, despite having money, are not even accepted to enter restaurants. The fear of a second wave of Corona virus infections seems to be great in China and then culprits are quickly appointed, in this case “the Africans”.
And who is the scapegoat in African countries?
Although there seem to be comparatively few Covid cases (at the moment), the fear of the intangible threat is spreading. And fear is used to feed superstitious believes.
Judith Jandi, a 2010 kanthari graduate wrote: “We are shouted at on the open road, Corona! Go away!” Although only a few regions of Kenya have imposed lockdowns, people like her, no longer dare to take to the streets. Here it is about people with Albinism.
Albinism is a genetic deficiency of melanin that affects skin color. People with albinism have little or no melanin in their skin, hair and eyes. Therefore, most are visually impaired or in a few cases even completely blind. In African countries, the number of people with albinism is higher than elsewhere in the world. And of course, a person with pale skin and light hair stands out.
Judith wrote: “In my family we were ten children. Four of us were white. … Discrimination has already started in our own home. Again, and again we were told to go into the sun, that would solve the problem and make us beautifully brown. However, the sun is life-threatening for us, we need to protect ourselves from the rays because we easily get skin cancer. My mother, who died prematurely, was accused of sleeping with a white man, and we are often blamed for bad luck.”
Judith’s experiences, as disturbing as they are, were not new to us. One year earlier, in 2009, Jayne Waitera came to the kanthari Institute. Like Judith, she has albinism and told us about the horror scenarios that people with albinism face, especially in East Africa.
I had dedicated a chapter to Jayne in connection with the topic of superstition and witchcraft practices in my last book “Die Traumwerkstatt von Kerala”(The dreamfactory of Kerala). In order to understand the extent of the resurgent racism, I would like to add a brief excerpt:
“…. For about ten years, people with albinism have been in great danger in East African countries. They are hunted and killed; their body parts are sold to Witch doctors. These are supported by a network of corrupt politicians and businessmen. The customers of Black Magic pay a fortune for a hand, for lips or fingers of a person who has Albinism. Several body parts are processed into potions that supposedly promise power, money or potency. Some politicians in East African countries even carry the finger of a person with albinism in their wallets, so they ‘win the next election’…
Jayne was born in Nyiri in central Kenya in the mid-1980s. She can’t remember her mother, who was still a student when she became pregnant. The mother, appalled by Jayne’s light skin, left the baby in the care of her grandmother and left.
Because her grandmother did not know what albinism meant, she placed the baby in the sun so that the skin could darken. She had no idea that the sun’s rays were a threat for Jayne. Since people with albinism have a deficiency of melanin, many, without adequate sun protection, get skin cancer at a young age
(From an article for the campus newspaper): “There weren’t many happy moments in my childhood. Since my grandmother lived far below the poverty line with three children to be cared for, we all had to work in the fields in the burning sun. I was only allowed to rest a little in the shade when my sunburn was already showing swollen blisters.”
Jayne was the only person with albinism in her village. As a result, she was teased by classmates and teachers.
“I myself was unaware of the reasons for my skin colour. Many believed that the fathers of albino children are white, and therefore the men punish their wives because they must have slept with a white man, and usually leave them when they give birth to a child with light skin. I was also convinced for a long time that my father had to be a white man. The children in my village and at school had a different explanation. They called me ‘Zeru Zeru’, which in Kiswahili means ‘Albino’, but also ‘Ghost’. Some people believe that we can never die and, if we want to, we can simply vanish. Many children and adults have repeatedly pinched me to find out if I really exist and whether I am made of skin, blood and bones like “normal people”. When I asked a question in class, the teacher looked straight through me, and the other children in class thought that that was hilarious. There was no one to defend me! But I didn’t want to be subdued, because I only had one life and couldn’t slip into someone else’s skin. They had to get used to me.”
“Shortly before I came to Kerala, I heard people tussling as I walked across the street. At one point, I realized what they were saying: ‘There’s a walking banknote!’ On the black market, the body of a person with albinism is worth up to 100,000 US dollars”
The cruel practice of the sorcerers hunting people with albinism has a history. Fishermen on Lake Victoria have always weaved albino hair into the nets to ensure an abundant catch! In many African countries, people believe that a woman with albinism has healing powers. This goes so far that sorcerers encourage HIV-positive men to have sexual intercourse with them. And if a woman refuses, she should simply be raped, and it still cures the men…
Superstition reached a new dangerous stage especially in Tanzania. Sorcerers encourage their customers to gain power, wealth or sexual potency through food or drinks made from bones, intestines, skin or blood from people with albinism, and incite men to hunt down children with albinism. Babies and toddlers in particular are in high demand. Many young mothers therefore live in constant fear. In order to place the affected families under police protection, state authorities have had lists of families to be protected, which recorded exactly where they live and where they go to school. But this protective measure backfired. Police officers were caught peddling the information to human hunters.”
In her kanthari closing speech, Jayne told a horrified audience that just two weeks earlier, a little boy in Tanzania had been cruelly mutilated in front of his relatives.
“We can only take action against such practices if we break away from superstition. We must be well informed about this. Once we know the facts, as soon as we can pin down the causes of accidents or illnesses, we will be able to demystify the belief of the witches. I am safe here in India, but I must go back to Africa to fight against superstition, power, greed for money and everyday discrimination against people with albinism! ” …
(From the book “Die Traumwerkstatt von Kerala”.)
Many years later, after television appearances, speeches and countless articles around the world, Jayne has become a well-known figure. Without shyness, she made herself unpopular with superstitious politicians, but, together with other activists, has achieved a great deal. After a while she was no longer insulted on the street but recognized. She certainly has contributed a lot to awareness about albinism and, hopefully, less discrimination.
But is this progress now being reversed by the Corona crisis? It would be devastating if “Social Distancing” were taken too literally today and in post-Corona times.