Persons with albinism in Africa are being killed and their body parts harvested for ritual purposes

[YankeeFan]

Wait, what?

Did anyone know about this? We're worried about an American killing an African lion, and how it makes Americans look to the rest of the world.

How did I not know that Africans are killing Albinos -- based strictly on their (lack of) pigmentation -- and harvesting their body parts?

Q Thank you, Mr. President. I’m from Kenya. And I’m speaking on behalf of my brothers and sisters with albinism from Africa. As you may know, Mr. President, persons with albinism in Africa are being killed and their body parts harvested for ritual purposes. My request to you is to raise this issue with the heads of states from African countries to bring these atrocities to an end, for the benefit of for us in this room, and our brothers and sisters back in Africa. Thank you. (Applause.)


THE PRESIDENT: Okay, good. Thank you. Well, can I just say the notion that any African would discriminate against somebody because of the color of their skin, after what black people around the world have gone through, is crazy. (Applause.) It is infuriating and I have no patience for it.

When I was in Africa, I said there are important traditions and folkways that need to be respected -- that’s part of who each culture is, each country is. But there’s also just foolish traditions -- (applause) -- and old ways of doing business that are based in ignorance. And they need to stop. And the idea that a society would visit violence on people because of pigmentation, that's not a tradition that is worth preserving. That's tomfoolery. That's craziness. It's cruel.

Remarks by the President at the Young African Leaders Initiative Presidential Summit Town Hall | whitehouse.gov

 

[LongTimeListener]

It's those ****ers at Planned Parenthood.

 

[YankeeFan]

It's those ****ers at Planned Parenthood.

Seriously, did you even know this was a thing?

 

[poindexter]

Frankly, they aren't as cute as Cecil.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The Washington Post did something on this not too long ago. A full body goes for $75,000, apparently:

Where albino body parts fetch big money, albinos still get butchered - The Washington Post

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

You sound outraged.

 

[YankeeFan]

The Washington Post did something on this not too long ago. A full body goes for $75,000, apparently:

Where albino body parts fetch big money, albinos still get butchered - The Washington Post

Holy crap. Had no idea.

 

[MisterCreosote]

“Some even believe that the witchcraft ritual is more powerful if the victim screams during the amputation, so body parts are often cut from live victims, especially children,” the report said. “The use of children is likely linked to the pursuit of innocence which, it is believed, enhances the potency of the witchcraft ritual. Moreover, children are more vulnerable to attacks as they are easy to find and capture and do not have the physical strength to fend off attackers.”

 

[Ace]

This is a cruel, backwards and barbaric practice that must be stopped.

Though I might be in favor of a Vanilla Ice exemption.

 

[exmediahack]

"And to you, worried about your own safety here in Chicago, it is unfair that your body parts, fully intact below the neck, should be worth .26 cents to every dollar that an intact albino is worth. I'm creating a task force to look into this and I'm having the Department of Justice investigate."

 

[Oggiedoggie]

If I could find an albino lion fetus, I could retire.

 

[Iron_chet]

The other white meat.

 

[WriteThinking]

I read about this quite a while ago.

I'll just say that I have a nephew with albinism and let you guess what I thought of and how I felt about this obscene practice.

Unfortunately, albinism is not only a condition of skin pigmentation, although that is the most obvious indication. Nonetheless, and unsurprisingly, however, albinism among blacks can be even more difficult to understand and deal with within society, and I can, horribly, imagine something like this happening in undeveloped areas of Africa.