The Sunday News
Nigel Siziba, Features Reporter
DESPITE efforts by various stakeholders to conscientise the country’s communities against discriminating people living with albinism, despicable treatment that borders on a seemingly stubborn culture of intolerance and archaic ritualistic traditions have continued unabated.
At face value the situation looks placid, but beneath the veneer of calmness is a grinding unforgiving society that looks at people living with albinism with scorn and derision, at least according to one Kudakwashe Govere who has been living with albinism.
She reflects how hard her life has been because of her condition saying she has faced a lot of negativism equalling to one with leprosy that is contagious from people who perceive themselves as normal, leading to her living in forced solitude.
“My primary education was a living hell, I remember one of the schools in primary threw me out because parents came complaining that their kids cannot learn well because of me. I then had to go and learn in the outskirts of the city at Kensington Primary School,” recalls Miss Govere.
The 22-year-old woman born in Bulawayo to parents who are dark in complexion said at first even her parents found it hard to accept her condition, but eventually came to terms with it.
“My parents, being dark in complexion, did not find it easy to have a baby living with albinism, society and relatives made it worse for them because of the beliefs and superstitions associated with albinism.”
Miss Govere said her journey has not been an easy one but one fraught with all kinds of discrimination, stigmatisation and hate from her peers and society at large, including teachers who she felt were supposed to know better.
“When I started school only one child agreed to play with me. The rest would call me deriding names like inkawu, murungudunhu (village white person) or musope. I was always teased for looking different, some would take my hat and run away with it leaving me to suffer from sunburns while some teachers would even refuse to mark my books,” said Miss Govere.
She said spiritual healers have not eased life for people living with albinism. Instead they have contributed significantly in the killing and rape of people living with albinism by perpetuating the false belief that if one sleeps with an albino they get healed of HIV/ Aids and if one kills an albino they become rich instantly.
“It is a disgrace to have traditional healers who still spread lies that sleeping with an albino cures HIV and if you kill an albino you become rich and this has resulted in the killing of many people living with albinism, also men would ask me out just for the fun of it or just to know how it feels to be touched by a person living with albinism.”
Her mother has always been her pillar of strength and she has always given her courage to face everything that comes her way.
“I used to go back home crying, telling my mother that I don’t want to go back to school again but she kept me strong, one day she cried after I had complained about school and since that day I became courageous because I never wanted to see her cry again, since then I developed a thick skin,” she said.
Miss Govere said after gathering strength she realised that there was a need to fight for the rights of people living with albinism and cater for their needs in terms of acceptance in the society and results were showing up.
“My desire is to enhance social justice for all people born with this genetic condition that reduces the amount of melanin pigment formed in the skin, hair and eyes so that they will understand that we’re capable beyond measure. In light of the fundamental pledge made in 2015 by all member states of the United Nations to leave no one behind, starting with the furthest behind first, it is essential for all stakeholders to support persons living with albinism in their quest for the enjoyment of their human rights,” said Miss Govere.
She further said she was a social justice advocate and they were in the process of registering their organisation that would cater for people living with albinism in all parts of the country and in the remote areas.
“I am an active social justice advocate because am passionate about reaching out to my dear brothers and sisters to address the challenges they encounter due to the colour of our skin, we are in the process of registering a trust to cater for people with albinism, our wish is that we reach out to all provinces unlike most organisations that focus mainly on people in Harare, we want to reach out to that child living with albinism in Silobela, Tsholotsho or that child in Zaka and Chisumbanje,” she said.
With the help of Zimplats they recently held an awareness campaign at Binga where they donated sunscreens and hats to those living with albinism.
“We have worked with Zimplats where we visited Binga, had a heart to heart talk with our fellow brothers and sisters there to motivate them so that they gain confidence. Sunscreen and hats were donated.”
Founder and director of Summit Albino Trust Mr Courage Kapere told Sunday News in an interview that people living with albinism were normal people who deserve to be treated as equals and to enjoy all the rights of other citizens without being discriminated against. He said his organisation was taking steps to continue conscientising the society on albinism to fight rampant stigma associated with people living with the condition.
“People must love us the way we are because we are not different from others, they need us as much as we need them, it is just a skin colour but we are also capable of doing anything that can be done by anyone and we have taken some strides as an organisation to try and educate people through our social media platforms so that we can be accepted in the society and clear the confusion that people have about albinos,” said Mr Kapere.
He attacked traditional healers who perpetuate the lie that if one sleeps with a person living with albinism they get healed as devil advocates who have no space in a constitutionally guided society.
— @sizlanigel
