By Paul Shalala
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A poster the Albinism Foundation of Zambia
is circulating against killing of albinos
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Parents of
children born with albinism across Zambia are now employing extra security for
their children following a number of cases in which albinos have been killed or
brutally attacked by ritual killers.
Some Zambian
fortune seekers believe that using albino body parts can make one rich.
This myth
has led to many albinos being killed or their body parts being chopped off.
In the
latest case, a seven year old female albino in the mining town of Kitwe lost
her left arm and hair after three assailants broke into her family house.
Dorothy
Mulenga, who is a Grade One pupil at Mutupa Primary School, was sleeping with
her sister and parents on Tuesday night when the three men stormed their house
in rural Kitwe and snatched her in the dead of the night.
“The three
men were armed with machetes, they broke the window, jumped into our house and
grabbed my daughter. They threw her outside and ran with her towards the bush,”
said Joseph Mulenga, the 27 year father who watched the attack as it unfolded.
Mulenga says
as he and his wife pursued the attackers, they sliced off her left arm and
dropped her 100 meters away from the house.
“They ran
away with my daughter’s arm. Am worried about our safety. They may come back
and kill me so that they can get her. We are asking our government to guarantee
our safety.”
Police said
the motive of the attack was not known.
“The couple
decided to shout for help and after realizing that the neighbours would come,
the criminals immediately chopped off the left arm of the girl just slightly
above the elbow using a machete and took away the piece to unknown destination,”
said Police Commissioner Charity Katanga who presides over the Copperbelt
region where the attack happened.
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| The house where three criminals abducted Dorothy Mulenga |
A visit to
the family house by this blogger revealed a trail of blood from the house to a
nearby bush where the girl had been dumped by her attackers.
Four days
after the attack, no one has been arrested.
But this
case has brought a lot of good will from civic leaders, human rights activists
and other well-wishers who have donated money and material things to support
Dorothy and her family.
Dorothy spent
three days in the Intensive Care Unit of the Kitwe Teaching Hospital and she
was only moved to a general ward on Friday.
Due to
worries about ritual killers striking again, the juvenile is being guarded
while in hospital and access to her is strictly supervised.
Another
recent case of an attack on an albino happened on 31 October when a 39 year old
man was murdered in the eastern Zambian town of Nyimba in a night attack by
ritual killers.
The attackers
used a knife to cut his throat but before they could get any body parts,
villagers pursued the attackers who were at the time dragging the albino to a
nearby bush.
The attackers
scampered in all directions upon seeing the villagers in pursuit.
“The
deceased was attacked while he was sleeping in his grass thatched house and in
the process his throat was completely cut and was stabbed twice on the left
side of the chest’” said Zambia Police Service Spokesperson Esther Katongo.
After intense
investigations, Police arrested four people, who included a married couple who
are believed to be the masterminds of the murder.
They have
all been charged with murder and are scheduled to appear in court in the coming
week.
This case
has brought anxiety in eastern Zambia especially among the albino community.
Chief Ndake
of the Nsenga speaking people of Nyimba has immediately summoned all his
Headmen in the area to sensitise them against the myth that albino body parts
are a lucky charm.
In an
interview with the Zambia News and Information Services which has been shared
widely to all media house in Zambia, the traditional leader expressed shock
that such a gruesome murder happened in his chiefdom.
And a
clergyman in the region has called for citizens to protect all albinos from
ritual killers.
“They
(albinos) just have a deficiency of scientific attribute that makes them look
the way they look but in terms of humanity, they are as good as anyone else and
they should be left alone to do whatever they want,” said Bishop William
Mchombo of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia.
And in
northern Zambia, a 73 year old albino had her fingers cut off and a tooth
removed by unknown people on 25 July this year.
Three suspects
were arrested in this matter, who included a grandchild of the victim.
The three
are still appearing in court while the victim was relocated from her village
for her own safety.
Over the
years, the Albinism Foundation of Zambia (AFZ) has been supporting and
relocating many albinos who are attacked or those who do not feel safe.
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| John Chiti |
The organization
says most of these attacks are carried out by ritual killers and people who
sale albino body parts to buyers both locally and abroad.
“Most of the
cases where albinos are being attacked are happening in rural areas because
there is lack of security. We note that these cases are increasing because there
is trafficking of body parts from one country to the other,” said AFZ Executive
Director John Chiti, who is a prominent Zambian musician.
He goes on
to explain that in Chama, a town which borders Malawi, a young girl was
attacked last year and one of her hands was chopped off.
Mr Chiti
says with the help of the Police, the hand was recovered in Malawi and this
proves that trafficking in albino body parts is an international activity.
“We are
asking the Police to do their job and ensure that people attacking albinos are
brought to book. To the families of albinos, please stay safe, take care of the
children because our lives are in danger due to these ritual killers who are
after us,” he added.
And a young
parent who has two children living with albinism in the mining town of Kalulushi
says he has started taking precautions for his children.
“I have two
children who are albinos and we are worried now. Should we be guarding them
everytime? When they are going to school, should we escort them? This is very
worrying. Our children are now a target and for me, am now guarding them
throughout,” said the parent who sought anonymity.
For years,
albinos were living freely in Zambia and there was even a common adage that “Albinos
do not die, they just disappear.”
However, now
they are being killed or attacked for being what they are.