In Born Too White, NHS doctor Oscar Duke (24 Hours in A&E), who himself has albinism, embarks on a personal journey to discover what life is like for people who share his condition in these countries.
Oscar struggled with the visual impairment albinism causes and has taken a long time to come to terms with his condition, but feels he has never really suffered from serious discrimination. In contrast, the stigma that surrounds people with albinism has been greatly ingrained within some African societies for many generations.
In Tanzania, home to among the highest proportion of people living with albinism in the world, they are vulnerable not only to bigotry but also mutilation and murder. In the last ten years alone there have been 170 attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania, 70 of which were fatal. Many are killed for their body parts, which are believed to have magical powers.
Born Too White explores why these terrible crimes are taking place and who is responsible. Oscar meets young people with albinism facing the brunt of this discrimination: from a 15 year-old boy who was brutally attacked, to children placed in a secure camp. As he digs deeper into the culture of the places he visits, he speaks to a traditional healer, to the people who hold prejudiced views towards albinism and those responsible for attacks, including a man who admits to having murdered a person with albinism for money.
Written by TomSouthwell on Feb 6, 2017