Victims of a witch hunt

Published Date: 20 July 2008 SAMUEL MLUGE steps outside his office and scans the pavements. His pale blue eyes dart back and forth, trying to focus. The sun used to be his main enemy in Dar es Salaam, but now the 49-year-old has others. Mluge is an albino, and in Tanzania these days there is a price for his pinkish skin. "I feel as if I am being hunted," he says. Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, but in Tanzania it has taken a sickening twist: at least 19 albinos, including children, have been killed or mutilated in the past year. They are victims of what local officials say is a growing criminal trade in albino body parts. Many people in Tanzania – and across Africa – believe albinos have magical powers. They stand out, often the lone white face in a black crowd, a result... [read full story]