Anti-Albino Sentiment in Tanzania: The Role of Government and NGOs
In light of decades of violent persecution of Tanzania’s albino population, the passing of the general election on October 29, 2025 offers cautious hope to people with the condition. Every election cycle, superstitions become inflamed and attacks increase, creating fear, spreading disinformation, and excluding those afflicted from public life. However, continued collaboration between non-governmental organizations and the Tanzanian government offers tangible potential for a nation free of anti-albino violence and discrimination not yet seen in years.
Approximately one in every 1,400 people has albinism in Tanzania, one of the highest rates in the world. Characterized by a lack of melanin in the skin, hair, and eyes, a genetic condition that leaves individuals visibly distinct and therefore vulnerable to discrimination. Along with general prejudice due to their difference reinforcing ill treatment, dangerous and false notions makes public existence for those with albinism a risk.
Elections in Tanzania have historically heightened danger for people with albinism. During election seasons, violence spikes due to witchdoctors demanding body parts, which they claim contain magical properties that can assist politicians by increasing luck. People with albinism are mutilated and killed by those aiming to profit from selling their limbs and organs and benefit from potions and amulets made by witchdoctors from human remains. Not accounting for attacks that victims survived and unsolved disappearances, 80 people have been murdered since 2000. Due to their inability to defend themselves, attacks against children are especially common. Manyashi Emmanuel, a Tanzanian citizen with albinism, recounted witnessing the murder of his five year old sister, who shares his condition. Mariamu Emmanuel had her ”legs, hands, and tongue removed” by attackers intending to sell them to witchdoctors. Her story, reported by the BBC, is one of many covered by international news outlets about child victims of anti-albino attacks.
Understanding colonial origins helps explain why dismantling these beliefs today remains both possible and necessary. European colonizers and missionaries were the first to popularize beliefs surrounding witchcraft and sorcery to Africa in the 15th century, but the practice of using body parts for occult purposes is a recent development not represented in traditional Tanzanian folklore. As such beliefs are not deeply rooted in Tanzanian society, but rather held by fringe groups, dismantling them is possible with the continued help of the Tanzanian government and work by activist organizations.
Misinformation about albinism disseminated by witch doctors who report being able to cure diseases, bring fortune, and create wealth dehumanizes and endangers people with the condition. Some Tanzanians even believe albinism is a divine curse, justifying their violence toward the population. In an early response to attacks, the government created shelters in the early 2010s to house and educate children with albinism. Attacks decreased, but the children were barred from public life, separated from their peers, and kept from their families. While protection is essential, when separated, their difference is magnified rather than normalized, which is especially damaging among the young and impressionable. Integrated education instead mainstreams the presence of such children, humanizing and debunking false myths about those with the condition.
Besides establishing shelters, the government also adopted The Regional Action Plan on Albinism in Africa (RAP) in 2017, a five-year-long continental initiative under the African Union designed to address persecution against people with albinism. The plan sought to prevent attacks by increasing public education, identifying root causes of misinformed beliefs, and prioritizing prosecution of anti-albino crimes, among other measures. Despite its measures, attacks and discrimination persisted without major change, spurring the government to take further steps and ratify a national strategy.
After RAP concluded in 2021, in 2024 the government adopted the National Action Plan of the Rights and Welfare of Persons with Albinism (NAP), the first plan of its kind in the nation’s history. The plan contains action items to promote equality, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and prevent crimes before they happen.
Due to NAP’s recent adoption, its effectiveness is thus far unknown; however its measures have strong potential. To safeguard against attacks, the plan pledges to curb anti-albino sentiment by running public campaigns that refute and increase awareness about deadly myths. Accurate information, while seemingly a small piece of the puzzle, is vital to creating a country where new generations do not believe in violence against and marginalization of people with the condition.
In conjunction with the Tanzanian Albinism Society (TAS), a second early government effort also banned witchdoctors in 2015. Founded in 1978, TAS is an NGO advocating for increased standards of living and human rights for Tanzania’s albino population. TAS’s collaboration with the government has resulted in decreased impunity via arrests of over 200 witchdoctors since its inception, exemplifying how on-the-ground expertise combined with sufficient enforcement creates concrete solutions.
In contrast to the flawed government shelters, NGO initiatives informed by expert knowledge prove more successful. ZeruZeru Simama Sasa, translated as “people with albinism stand up now” or “stop prejudice against people with albinism now,” is another Tanzanian NGO supporting people with albinism. The organization improves upon past government action by providing both safe homes and diverse education for children with albinism. In contrast to state shelters, community-based NGOs like ZeruZeru Simama Sasa provide housing while also ensuring children attend local schools, supplying protection and integration simultaneously. Both TAS and ZeruZeru Simama Sasa illustrate the vital role of NGO expertise broadly across the Global South and specifically in advancing the lives of Tanzania’s albino community, a factor sometimes overlooked by policymakers.
For the moment, Tanzania’s albino population is able to momentarily relax. The end of this year’s election cycle promises a decrease in violence and maimings, but there is no one easy solution to a problem so complex. NGOs acting alone and teaming with the government show a capacity to create real change, but solo government initiatives demonstrate how marginalized groups often do not receive effective protection and support. Tanzanians with albinism need to know they can rely on the public officials they entrusted with their votes, just like any other citizen. Only then can they live the lives they were given to live. Ultimately, the Tanzanian case exemplifies how collaboration between state and civil society is crucial to dismantling systemic superstition and violence.