|Photo © Jacquelyn Martin-All Rights Reserved|
"The genetic condition known as Albinism can be a death sentence in Tanzania."Jacquelyn Martin, a staff photojournalist with the Associated Press (Washington DC) is featuring a compelling audio slideshow on her website, titled Tribe of Ghosts.
The East African nation of Tanzania is a particularly dangerous region to be an albino. Albinism is a defect of melanin production that results in little or no color (pigment) in the skin, hair, and eyes. And in Tanzania, as in other African countries, albinos are discriminated against, and their murder has been reported. They are hunted for their flesh, a horrific result of superstitions and the desire of witch doctors to make "magic". A common belief is that albinos don't die, but vanish like ghosts.
Tanzania has one of the highest rates of albinism in the world — nearly 1 in every 1400 people as compared to about 1 in 20,000 worldwide.