'Albinos buried inside houses'

From PIUS RUGONZIBWA in Mwanza

A sharp division has emerged among members with albinism here with some opposing the growing ritual of burying dead bodies inside houses instead of graveyards.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, one of the key albino activists in the country, who is also the Director of Advocacy with the Josephat Torner Foundation Europe, Mr Josephat Torner said he was about to organise a special campaign and where needed a court action against the practice increasingly reported in some Lake Zone regions.
He said for many years people with albinism have been fighting against mistreatment, torture, killings and all forms of discriminations against their colleagues adding that it was disgusting now seeing a section of the same people embracing outdated beliefs that lower their dignity. “It is basing on the growth of these acts that we are planning an intervention that might include court action that will give a verdict for the right to respectful burying of our colleagues when they die so that they can rest in peace and not otherwise,” he said.
According to Mr Torner, the new development comes amid reports that many families of the members with albinism are burying their relatives inside their houses fearing they might be easily stolen when buried in normal graveyards. He requested for the government to set aside resources for education campaign to the general public on the difference between people with albinism and others without that disability and how they should be treated.
It was basing on that need that his Foundation plans to organise a Mount Kilimanjaro climbing campaign targeting to raise funds for education and sensitization campaigns on the rights of people with albinism among others.
The first of its kind, the activity will take place in September, this year, targeting to collect over 100m/-enough to set up a special Education Fund kicking off the sensitization campaign on various matters pertaining to the welfare of the people with albinism.
Mount Kilimanjaro campaign will draw participants from Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Senegal and Zambia while outside Africa climbers from the UK, US, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Australia and Japan will take part. “Around 50 people will participate in the Mount Kilimanjaro climbing campaign with each expected to contribute 1,000 US dollars which will be a starting capital of the Fund,” said Mr Torner.
A member with albinism from Uganda Ms Melanie Mataga called for the media to set an agenda against torture and killing of people with albinism and persuade the rest of the member states in East Africa Community (EAC) to institute joint action.
Although killings of people with albinism was not largely reported in Uganda compared to Tanzania in the past, Ms Mataga said there was an urgent need for policy action among EAC member states in trying to eliminate the vise.