13 JUNE 2015 INTERNATIONAL ALBINISM
AWARENESS DAY
I feel sick at reading of the atrocities committed against
persons with an absence of melanin (known as oculocutaneous albinism), in
Tanzania and more than twenty other African countries. Harassment also occasionally
occurs in China and India, although to a far lesser extent. All this is endured,
on account of a slip in genetic makeup that is beyond any sufferer’s ability to
counter.
Born in South Africa, I am white; but by definition of birth
I am an African. As such, I utterly condemn the satanic brutality sometimes meted
out to people already struggling with weakened eyesight and susceptible to skin
cancer. Often highly intelligent, normal
and complete in every other way, they are deserving of respect by all. It is
incumbent on every government to support them, and to ensure protection within
law.
Within South Africa, millions live with the concept of
‘ubuntu’ ever before them. This implies honouring the dignity and humanity of
other human beings, with a view to letting the concept guide behaviour and
attitudes.
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