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Features
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MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020
Farai Mutsaka
HARARE (AP) - Each time Yvonne Gumbo, who has
albinism, and her friends get together for a picture,
she insists on being in the centre.
"I tell them I make the picture beautiful because
I am special," she told The Associated Press at her
home in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, recently.
"I have two different colours while they have one.
I am black. I am white," she said, smiling. "Who else
can make the picture more beautiful?"
It's the 22-year old's way of ighting back against
the deeply rooted myths and prejudices faced by
people with albinism in Zimbabwe, where they are
often ostracised, laughed at and pejoratively re-
ferred to as "white people" among other names.
While much of the world is engrossed in the
race-related outrage over the death of George Floyd
in the United States (US), Zimbabwe's young people
with albinism are ighting prejudices against the
colour of their skin.
In nearby Malawi and Tanzania, many people
with albinism are killed because their body parts
are thought to bring good luck. No such killings
have been reported in Zimbabwe, which has about
70,000 people with albinism out of a population of
about 15 million.
But prejudices remain deep-rooted.
Some people stare, whistle or verbally abuse
those with albinism when they walk along the
streets. Some believe sleeping with them can cure
HIV. Many others treat albinism as a curse.
But for Gumbo, none of that bothers her any-
more. These days she carries an aura of con idence
she admits was absent during the irst two decades
of her life.
"I only started living my life two years ago. The
stigma had gotten to me that most times. I felt I
wasn't as human as the others. I am now making up
for those lost years," Gumbo said. She said she only
started making friends after she inished school,
where she had been treated as an outcast by fellow
students and even teachers.
"I was very quiet and afraid. Nowmy former class-
mates are shocked at how talkative and assertive I
have become," she said, attributing her newfound
con idence to her membership in support groups.
Such programmes include an annual Miss Albi-
nism and Mr Albinism pageant, although it has been
put on hold this year due to coronavirus restrictions.
"We have to focus on success, not pity," said
Brenda Mudzimu, founder of the Miss Albinism
Trust, which runs the pageant. The trust also offers
career guidance workshops and support sessions
for people with albinism.
Fighting to belong
In Zimbabwe, people with albinism struggle with prejudices against
the colour of their skin.
Joyce Muchenje places her hands on a wall and that of her three children, who all have albinism, outside
their family home in Chitungwiza on the outskirts of Harare. PHOTOS: AP
"Right now we have albinos who are doctors,
nurses… success stories on the frontline of the ight
against coronavirus. We also have to talk about them
to inspire others," Mudzimu said.
However, the economic downturn caused by the
restrictions to combat the spread of COVID19 means
that many people with albinism are struggling to put
food on the table, let alone afford essential items such
as sunscreen, skin lotions and other medications.
The Zimbabwe Albino Association, a representa-
tive group, has been lobbying parliament to enact a
law making it mandatory for government to provide
free skin lotions to people with albinism.
Joyce Mutenje used to provide for her three
children, who all have albinism, by washing laundry
and household cleaning for traders at a busy border
town before the lockdown. But now the border trade
has stopped and Mutenje has run out of money to
get skin cream for her children.
"This is all that's left," said Mutenje, holding two
small tubes of lotion. She hopes to make it last for
two weeks by telling the children to put the lotion
only on their faces.
Obey Machona, a 21-year-old media studies stu-
dent at the University of Zimbabwe, said he is an
advocate of "taking back control of our lives as albi-
nos". He said he used to support himself and his un-
employed mother with part-time photography jobs.
Now those gigs have dried up due to the lockdown
and items such as skin lotion have become a luxury.
"What good is skin lotion when the stomach is
empty?" he asked.
With the border trade halted, Mutenje has run out of
money to get the skin cream for her children