Mberengwa — As a teacher, she has had very few associates. Back home, visiting relatives whisper behind her back apparently disgusted by her condition of albinism. Now, 43-year old Lindani Zhou based in Mberengwa, a Zimbabwean rural district in the country’s Midlands Province, has had to stomach growing discrimination against her each day of her life.
She (Zhou) is a high school History teacher at one of the district schools in the province.
Her woes with discrimination owing to her condition are even worse at school, where Zhou said ‘my only friend is my job.’
“I find solace in my job. In class, I have learnt to live with the contemptuous glares from most of my students and I just ignore, with some even giggling when they think I won’t be noticing,” Zhou told Ubuntu Times.
Zhou has even claimed in the villages closer to the school where she teaches, villagers believe she is a mystery figure.
“People here actually think I’m unlike other human beings, claiming I can disappear and reappear; imagine such primitive thinking in this 21st century, and because of those false beliefs they associate with albinism, very few have the courage to even greet me,” said Zhou.
For many other Zimbabweans living with albinism like Agness Gurume, the Coronavirus pandemic has even spelled out worse woes for her lately.
In an episode that captured the attention of the entire national media here, just last month, she (Gurume) was barred by security guards from entering Pick n Pay Supermarket in Masvingo, Zimbabwe’s oldest town after she had requested to wash her hands with soap instead of sanitizers which she had said affect her skin.
Not only security guards have turned to discriminating against people with albinism like Gurume.
In fact, four decades after Zimbabwe gained independence from British colonial rule, even little children born in this age ridicule people living with albinism like Gurume and Zhou.
“Little children openly giggle when they see me and they gather around me as if I have become some tourist object of attraction,” Zhou said.
Indigenous businessmen like 57-year old Gift Mhara in Harare who runs some shops in downtown Harare, openly shun working with albinos.
To him (Mhara), people with albinism are a cost.
“If you employ a person with albinism you must be prepared to get excuses of absenteeism from work because they fall sick anytime and they need to constantly visit medical specialists to attend to them, meaning their production time at work is minimal,” Mhara told Ubuntu Times.
Based in Harare, 31-year old Gamuchirai Uzande has also battled with discrimination as she lives with albinism.
Uzande said, “there is discrimination in all sectors of life, health, education, employment, socially, you name it.”
“Because of cultural beliefs, many people’s mindsets are corrupted; hence for a person with albinism to be employed in a formal sector is a challenge. Some employers are not even ashamed to show it on the day of the interview instead. If by any chance you get employed in a formal sector, chances of stigma between employees is very high,” Uzande told Ubuntu Times.
Faced with escalating discrimination of people with albinism in Zimbabwe, pro-albinism organizations like Alive Albinism Initiative, have spoken with vehemence against the rising trend.
“I always say people often get scared of what they don’t understand or what they don’t know. That’s the same reason why persons with albinism still face discrimination in Zimbabwe and in Africa. Some people are of the belief that albinism is a result of witchcraft or that it is some form of a punishment from God,” Ms. Gwenlisa Mushonga, who is the director for Alive Albinism Initiative in Zimbabwe, told Ubuntu Times.
Founder of Alive Albinism Initiative, Mushonga herself lives with albinism and has over the years become a disability activist with a focus on the rights and empowerment of persons with albinism.
According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 33,000 people with albinism in Zimbabwe.
Of these, based on statistics from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, only about two percent are gainfully employed, meaning approximately 660 people with albinism across this Southern African nation have jobs.
ZCTU is the primary trade union federation in this country.
With the escalating segregation of people with albinism in Zimbabwe, Mushonga apparently is pessimistic about the employment of people with the condition.
“Employers do not like employing people with albinism as they are declared that they might chase away their customers. We have a couple of persons often called for interviews, but once they show up that’s the end of it; they will not get the job simply because they look different,” said Mushonga.
Yet as Zimbabweans with albinism like Zhou and Gurume endure discrimination because of their conditions, many like Mushonga have pinned the blame on people’s backwardness.
“There is high level of discrimination of persons who have this condition in Zimbabwe. This is caused by the fact that Africa is mostly populated by black people and for black parents to give birth to a white child causes confusion, mistrust, and in the search of a cause, superstitious beliefs,” said Mushonga.
In fact, Mushonga said ‘people are scared of what they do not understand and instead of searching for answers and correct information, they just assume that they know it all.’
But even as they face discrimination, many Zimbabwean albinos like Tapiwa Musoni who work as a radio presenter have swum against the odds, beating segregation and becoming one of the country’s top radio personalities.
According to the United Nations, the physical appearance of persons with albinism is often the object of erroneous beliefs and myths influenced by superstition, resulting in their marginalization and subsequently discrimination.
Zimbabwean sociologist Mike Musawu based in the capital Harare said, ‘generally, people here are stuck in the olden belief that albinos are a curse from God or in fact punishment from ancestors.’
Yet human rights defenders like Elvis Mugari foresee the need for the Zimbabwean government to economically empower citizens living with albinism in order for them to become self-reliant.
“Instead of watching albinos being discriminated against, government should act swiftly and make sure they have things to do to support themselves economically,” Mugari told Ubuntu Times.
So, for many Zimbabweans living with albinism like Uzande, a lot still needs to be done to fend off discrimination.
“I would say there is still much work to be done in order to raise awareness on albinism,” Uzande said.