International albinism day: hopes in Kenya despite stigma
Senator Isaac Mwaura, in January 2020 © Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 Martin Mbau
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Today, Sunday June 13, marks International Albinism Awareness Day.
In Kenya, activists who work to change attitudes, believe that progress is visible, even if the stigma persists.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Nairobi,
Albane Thirouard
Local players agree: in recent years, the situation has evolved in the right direction. Isaac Mwaura is proof of this: the first albino deputy in the Kenyan Parliament,
he is now a senator
. A first too. “
In 15 years we have made a lot of progress,
”
he says
.
Before we were not recognized, we were even considered a lower class of society, in particular for access to official functions and employment. Now in Kenya, we have succeeded in putting forward an alternative model, by having political representations and above all a dedicated budget. In 2019, we even managed to be included in the overall population census.
"
Despite these advances, the stigma against people with albinism remains strong.
“
Women are always raped because people think they can cure HIV
,” says Isaac Mwaura.
People with albinism have been killed by people wanting to use their bodies for rituals supposed to bring good luck.
There are also so many albino children who are never recognized by their biological father.
"
For Daniel Onyango, father of a 4-year-old albino boy, everyday life is accompanied by unpleasant situations.
“
When we walk in the street, people look at us
, he regrets
.
When other children see him, they call him Mzungu, which is the term used to refer to white people.
"
To break this discrimination, associations for the defense of albinos insist on the need to continue educating populations on this genetic peculiarity.
They also insist that the budgets allocated to the cause be substantial.
► Also to listen: RFI Savoirs:
Albinism: origins, treatments and prevention
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Kenya
Health and medicine
On the same subject
Burundi
Burundi: the body of a young albino found dismembered
Africa on the move
Congo-Brazzaville: a clinic to treat albinos free of charge
Reportage
Congo-B: an NGO launches a skin cancer treatment campaign for albinos