Born with a different skin colour: Killings of persons with albinism among the Sukuma of Mwanza and limitations of Tanzanian Witchcraft Law, 1980-2015

Abstract

This paper is a historical investigation into the discrimination of Persons with Albinism (PWA), a major problem in sub-Sahara Africa. The discriminated PWA have been subjected to extreme violence including killings, which have caused physical and psychological problems for many years. Killings of PWA done by energetic men have been associated with witchcraft beliefs instigated by witchdoctors that albino organs are useful ingredients in the manufacture of medicine, which necessitate gains of material wealth and prosperity. In Tanzania, these killings of PWA are widespread and recognized as a significant barrier to socio-economic development. Despite being an important aspect of humanistic scholarship, killings of PWA have not been adequately explored by historians. The paper utilized a qualitative research approach drawing from primary and secondary sources to examine the underlying factors for killings of PWA and the limitations of witchcraft law in controlling such killings among the Sukuma ethnic group, which inhabits the Mwanza region in northwestern Tanzania. An analysis of these sources revealed that the desire for material wealth and prosperity was a key factor in killings of PWA among the Sukuma from 1980 to 2015. The data also showed that the colonial witchcraft law inherited by the Tanzanian government has limitations in controlling killings because it does not reflect local people’s culture. The Sukuma culture is associated with witchdoctors’ use of charms for the treatment or protection of individuals against diseases caused by witches or to influence wealth and prosperity. The paper concludes that the government should address the root causes of poverty, ignorance, myth, and superstition that push people to participate in killings of PWA.