dynamicafrica:

Tanzania’s “Albino United” Football Team Draw Attention to Their Experiences Through Sport.

For many Albino’s living in Tanzania, a country where the number of albinos is believed to be higher than in any other nation, the threat of violence against them is a very real and often painful daily struggle. Due to unfounded superstitions about albinos, their body parts are often requested and used in various rituals by traditional doctors who operate in the black market. This deception has led to many gruesome killings of albinos. Many albinos are often forced to live in isolation by their families out of shame, ignorance or even sometimes as a way of protecting them.

Now, as part of an initiative spearheaded by the Albino Society in Tanzania, a group of men are challenging the dangerous stereotypes against albinos and are highlighting their experiences - and most importantly their humanity - through sport. The football team, called ‘Albino United’, has become a way for many albinos to re-enter society and find ways of expressing themselves and creating a vibrant community of albinos within greater Tanzanian society.