AMBASSADOR HONORS COURAGEOUS TANZANIAN ALBINOS AFTER

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000029

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JLIDDLE; AF/PD; IO/SHA; IO/RHS; DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PGOV PHUM SCUL KPAO TZ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HONORS COURAGEOUS TANZANIAN ALBINOS AFTER
GRUESOME YEAR OF MURDERS


1. (U) SUMMARY: Following a year in which several dozen albinos
were reported murdered throughout Tanzania, Ambassador Mark Green
awarded the entire albinism community with Post's "Martin Luther
King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award." The award, presented
annually the last ten years commemorating the life of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., recognizes Tanzanians who have waged a peaceful
battle for justice in the spirit of Dr. King. The event was the
lead story January 15 on all major television and nine top radio
stations, and was carried prominently in at least ten English and
Swahili dailies the following day. After the event, government
leaders pledged continued action in raising awareness of the issue.
A group from a U.S. university committed funds to support Albino
groups. We are encouraging submission of relevant proposals to our
Democracy and Human Rights Fund. Activists intend to present the
issue of Tanzanian albino murders, especially the lack of
prosecutions for these crimes, to the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York on February 5.
END SUMMARY.

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Traditional Healers' Claims of Riches Threatens Albinos
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2. (U) Although there were unofficial reports of several dozens of
persons with albinism murdered across the country during 2008,
26--mostly women and children--were confirmed killed, and numerous
others were mutilated, in the misguided belief that the body parts
of albinos could be used to create wealth or bring protection and
good luck in business or love. Many murders occurred in the Great
Lakes Zone of Northern Tanzania. While the practice is reportedly
associated with the spells of witchdoctors or traditional healers,
many believe that the practice is a modern development rather than a
traditional belief. Some Tanzanians believe that albinos are not
humans and refer to them as "zeru zeru," a derogatory Kiswahili word
for ghosts. Others believe that albinos cannot be killed but simply
'disappear.' Fishermen, especially around Lake Victoria, have been
reported to tie strands of albinos' hair to their fishing nets to
ensure a plentiful catch. Thieves have stolen albino remains from
graves to create talismans.


3. (U) When entire bodies cannot be obtained, attackers have hacked
off albinos' arms and/or legs, often resulting in the victims'
death. Because of the stigma associated with albinism, albinos are
poorer than average in one of the already poorest countries in the
world. With limited financial means to purchase sun block,
Tanzanians with albinism suffer high rates of melanoma. Because of
associated vision problems, as well as stigmatization and fear, many
albinos do not finish high school and are illiterate. There are
more than 8,000 registered albinos in Tanzania, but the Tanzania
Albino Society estimates there are between 100,000 and 200,000
albinos in the country. In response to the dramatic upswing in the
murder of albinos, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete appointed
albino Al Shaymaa Kwegyir as a 'Special Seats' Member of Parliament
in April 2008 to focus on disabled citizens. In recent months, the
trade in albino body parts has reportedly spread to Burundi and the
DRC: a Tanzanian was arrested in November reportedly trying to sell
his albino wife to Congolese traders for $3000. There have been
arrests, but so far no convictions in these murders.

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Brave Journalist Goes Undercover to Expose the Deadly Trade
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4. (SBU) In July 2008, Tanzanian BBC World Service Bureau Chief
Vicky Ntetema went undercover, with police consent, posing as a
businesswoman looking to buy charmed potions from ten different
witchdoctors. Ntetema told PDO, and reported through BBC, that she
was offered potions made from albino organs for a starting price of
$2000 from several witchdoctors. Ntetema exposed the offers, as
well as subsequent police inaction to make arrests, through reports
on BBC. Ntetema disclosed to PDO that the Minister of Home Affairs
Lawrence Masha berated her publicly for "bringing shame on Tanzania"
through her international reports. (Note: Masha, a close friend of
the embassy, declined our invitation to attend the MLK event. End
Note.) Ntetema temporarily has relocated to Nairobi, as she has been
told that she is now "overqualified" to work as a journalist in
Tanzania. After the increase in murders in 2008, the Tanzania
Albino Society and other NGOs have organized marches, fielded an
albino soccer team that played against MPs, and garnered
considerable media coverage for the cause.

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Ambassador calls for action during moving ceremony
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5. (U) The MLK Drum Major for Justice Award ceremony, held annually
since 1999, honors prominent Tanzanian leaders involved in advancing
social justice. In his remarks, the Ambassador called on Tanzanian
law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the
murders of albinos, stating, "As a friend of Tanzania, I will not
allow the United States to remain silent in the face of a grave
abuse of human rights occurring in Tanzania today." Ambassador drew
parallels between the peaceful marches of the Civil Rights Movement
and the peaceful marches for justice being organized by the Albino
Society.


6. (U) Margareth Sitta, Minister of Community Development, Gender,
and Children, who attended the ceremony, spoke to the media
assembled praising the U.S. Government for its efforts to help in
this important fight, and announced the creation of a task force on
the issue. Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Anna Makinda, also
attended the event. Media mogul Reginald Mengi, a dedicated
champion for disabled Tanzanians and the 2008 MLK award recipient,
helped hand over the award. Special MP Kwegyir, who spoke at the
event, applauded U.S. efforts to make the issue known throughout the
world. Representatives of the Tanzania Albino Society Ernest Kimaya
and Josephat Torner, and Ntetema from BBC spoke and read excerpts of
Dr. King's speeches during the ceremony. A local gospel choir
brought several albinos in the audience to tears with a song
dedicated to ending the murders of albinos, emotion which was
captured in numerous media photo essays.

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Significant Media Coverage
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7. (U) Coverage of the ceremony was carried at the top of all
national television news reports the evening of January 15.
Detailed stories and photos were carried prominently in January 16th
editions of Kiswahili dailies Habari Leo, Uhuru, Kulikoni, and
Nipashe and in English dailies The Guardian, This Day, The African,
Daily News and The Citizen. Additionally, television stations ITV,
TBC and TBC1, and radio stations Radio Free Africa/StarTV, Clouds
FM, Radio One, East Africa Radio, and Islamic stations Radio Koran,
and Radio Kheri carried the story in their morning "newspaper
review" programs. Coverage was factual and positive, quoting the
Ambassador's remarks at length, and included extensive positive
comments from VIPs who attended the ceremony.

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Next Steps
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8. (U) We have received a proposal to support a sensitization
campaign in northwestern Tanzania, and is seeking additional
proposals for our Democracy and Human Rights Fund grants program. A
timely visit from a service learning-study tour of students from the
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has resulted in their commitment
of a monetary donation to support the albinism community. BBC
journalist Ntetema, along with the head of Canadian NGO "Under the
Same Sun," intends to present an overview of albino murders in
Tanzania supported by the results from an October 2008 fact-finding
mission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) in New York on February 5.

Green