It has never been easy to be an albino in Tanzania - they are shunned as outcast and often die of skin cancer before they reach 30. Now, there is another more imminent danger: albinos are being hunted for their body parts, as Tanzanians believe they have magical powers.
But the killings go on. They have even spread to neighboring Kenya, where an albino woman was hacked to death in late May, with her eyes, tongue and breasts gouged out. Advocates for albinos have also said that witch doctors are selling albino skin in Congo.
The young are often the targets. In early May, Vumilia Makoye, 17, was eating dinner with her family in their hut in western Tanzania when two men showed up with long knives.
Vumilia was like many other Africans with albinism. She had dropped out of school because of severe near-sightedness, a common problem for albinos, whose eyes develop abnormally and who often have to hold things like books or cellphones two inches away to see them. She could not find a job because no one would hire her. She sold peanuts in the market, making $2 a week while her delicate skin was seared by the sun.
When Vumilia’s mother, Jeme, saw the men with knives, she tried to barricade the door of their hut. But the men overpowered her and burst in.
“They cut my daughter quickly,” she said, making hacking motions with her hands. The men sawed off Vumilia’s legs above the knee and ran away with the stumps. Vumilia died.
Jeffrey Gettleman wrote this gruesome yet fascinating and sad story for The New York Times: Link
(Photo: Guillaume Bonn / The New York Times)
Historically, the introduction of Christ killed millions of people. Those who resisted were tortured and killed. People who have resisted Christ like the billions of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims are not suffering from "spiritual stupidity," they just have different views from your own.
Relating to the story, I think they need western medicine more than western religion.
DanO, do you take a stand other than cultural relativism? When is murdering others culturally permissible? What of those who make excuses for the cruelties carried out in the name of Islam? When do we stop and consider the idea that *maybe* simply throwing money at Africa is as pointless at throwing money at any other person or entity?
I'm against murder, no matter what the religion. There are deplorable crimes committed in many God's names. Today's Western society has decided to help for many of the suffering people but has also ignored many more. I don't know why.
But I think the answer to this albino issue in Tanzania isn't simply converting people to Christianity. I think medicine and education will go a lot further in aiding Africa than Bible thumping missionaries. Yes, that might cost money, but I can live with that.
Yeah, sure, just introduce Christ! And then watch how throwing another ridiculous believe system into the mix will make things even worse!
We let you psycho Christians believe there is such as thing as god, we let you Jews run around telling tales of some lie called god, so we should let these people do what they believe.
I guess we can't all be Texans with a bunch of Cult-believers living in compounds, eh? hahahahahahaha
I'll join your factory hahahahahaha
relocate those who pass, nuke the rest.
thin the herd!
I am a believer in the message spread by Christ the Nazarene.
"Do unto others as you would have them do to you"
This message should be taught to everyone worldwide. It is THE message that will ultimately help our planet unite. If you don't want someone hacking you into pieces, then don't do it to others. If you don't want to feel the shame and horror of being raped, then don't rape others.
Buddhism is also a great religion. It teaches us to have respect for all living things.
Religion is not the problem. Misconstruing the message is the problem.
Atheists like to think they are the smart ones. THERE CAN BE DUMB ATHEISTS JUST AS THERE CAN BE DUMB CHRISTIANS/BUDDHISTS/MUSLIMS/ETC.
Atheists seem to miss the messages of peace and love, and focus on the mass slaughters carried out in the name of "God".
I don't believe that denying God is a smart thing to do. As science progresses, we will become godlike. We will create life. We will teach that life to respect and love others. Maybe God isn't some all powerful magician. Anyone ever thought that God is just a really smart guy from another world ? No ? Oh cause that idea is just too weird right ? Try some hallucinogenics. Try thinking outside the box. Try to think differently.
How is being contemptuous of other people, and experiencing pleasure at the prospect of their presumably wrath-filled meeting with your chosen deity, at all compatible with the teachings of that deity? Put simply, shouldn't a nasty Christian be an oxymoron? Because it's awfully common, and totally confounding.
My grandmother was a very loving Christian woman, and I think that the ugliness you present really perverts and dishonors the spirit and the attitude that she, for instance, embodied.
Lots of polarization here.
What countries like this need is education. Scientific education. They need to be able to understand how ricidulous and terrible things like this are. Imagine being that girl, just trying to live. What a terrible terrible way to die.