A parade of albinos, like the one from Brazil seen above, could happen in Tanzania. Tanzania has Africa’s largest population of people with albinism, or the pigmentation disorder that leaves sufferers with pale skin, red eyes, and white hair. However, while it’s possible, it’s probably risky as albinos are routinely hunted and killed in Tanzania for their hair, blood, and body parts, which are believed to be full of magic and are used in muti rituals. Tanzania’s first albino MP, Salum Khalfan Barwany, believes he is being targeted by albino hunters who week to harvest his body parts for magic.
Since 2007, 59 albinos have been killed by albino hunters and sold on the black market to muti witchcraft practitioners. According to the Albino Association of Tanzania, a full set of body parts–hair, ears, limbs, tongue, blood, and genitals–can fetch $200,000 on the black market. Barwany was elected by the Lindi Urban constituency in southern Tanzania on October 31. Tanzanian authorities are working hard and passing death sentences in cases of muti albino harvests in an attempt to stamp out the witchcraft practice.
Tags: Lindi Urban, Tanzania, MP, Military Police, Salum Khalfan Barwany, muti, albino hunters kill for tribal medicine, albinos used for tribal medicine, witchcraft, albinos killed and harvested for witchcraft, albino hunters, weird rituals