Albinos from Tanzania and Kenya meet in Nairobi to discuss the stigma and
other problems they face. Africa has a high prevalence of people born with
albinism with about one per 4,000 to 5,000 people.

 NAIROBI, KENYA (JUNE 28, 2008) REUTERS -
The Albinism Society of East Africa held an "open day" in
Nairobi, Kenya's capital on Saturday (June 28).
    Albinism is caused by a genetic condition which impairs normal skin
pigmentation.
    Because of their unusual appearance, albinos in much of Africa are
still often cast out from the day they are born.
    The open day was attended by over 80 albinos and was held under the
theme "Celebrating Our Difference". Organisers hope events like this
will provide a platform for albinos to voice their concerns in a supportive
environment. 
   "Today we are celebrating Albinism and it is a big day and we want
to really celebrate our difference because we are conspicuous yet some of us
feel low self esteem, so we want to raise our self esteem," said Alex
Munyeri, the chairman of the Albinism Society of East Africa.
    African albinos suffer more from the radiation of the sun than those in
colder countries. This is due to the lack of melanin found in their skin which
is the skins natural protector, increasing the risk of skin damage. 
    Isaac Mwaura, a Kenyan political activist said part of the stigma was
the way in which people viewed albinos. He said they can contribute to
society. 
    "We are always being looked at as people who might not be able to
perform for example people who are lacking or wanting in something, and so we
are compelled to come out and show the world that despite our skin lacks
melanin and we have low vision or near sightedness - we still can give
something back to the community, we still can meaningfully contribute,"
he said.
    In many African countries some people associate albinos with evil while
others believe that they are descendants of Noah or that they have mystical
powers. Recently 19 albinos were killed in Tanzania, parts of their bodies
were removed by their murdererers.
    "The killings were as a result of superstitious believes. The
witch doctors made people believe that albino body parts had magical powers
which could make them rich. This triggered the killings of albinos with
imagination of getting wealthy which was just a lie," said Al-Shaymaa
Kwegyir, a Tanzanian Member of Parliament.
     It is estimated that Africa has a higher prevalence of people born
with albinism with about one per 4,000 to 5,000 people compared to northern
Europe, where only one in 60,000 is an albino.