The daily struggle of Albinism

“We met in a funny way. I had gone to see an optician where Everisto worked as a dispensary optician. I then mistakenly left my purse. He got my contact details from reception where I had registered and phoned the house and told my mum that I had left my purse. That was the start of the relationship that saw us have our white wedding,” she recalls.

Life has been difficult for Mercy, who now works at the Zimbabwe Albino Association (ZIMAS).

Her struggle started when she wanted to marry Everisto.

“We were both tormented. My late husband went through thick and thin to marry me. The in-laws would chide us both all the time. They would then openly ask my husband if he was lacking something and was that why he chose to marry an albino.

“The most painful times were family gatherings. Most of the family members would shun me. If I went to fetch water they would only use it for washing plates and not for drinking because they considered it unsafe. Other people would break plates that I had used. I was a pariah.

“However, with time my in-laws accepted me and now there is nothing that happens in the family without my being informed,” said Mercy proudly.

She also faced hostility at school, especially at primary level. “Nobody wanted to sit next to me. I was not used to that kind of treatment as our parents were very supportive. I only felt that I was different outside our home.”

Rangarirai Dengu (34), also an albino, echoed Mercy’s sentiments, saying living with albinism was an onerous task.

“The condition is a lifelong curse. You suffer emotionally from the day you are born to the day they carry you to the grave. Albinos often have trouble in fitting at school as other students do not want to sit next to you let alone play with you. You hear other students particularly at primary level saying hona musope uyo (look at that albino). Anywhere outside home was hell,” he said.

Albinism is a defect in the production of melanin that results in little or no colour in the skin, hair and eyes.

“On the health front our major problems are the eyes and the skin. Since we have no pigment we get excess exposure from sun rays. This requires special sunscreen lotions to minimise damage,” explained Mercy.

“Our association (ZIMAS), which has 13,000 members, is now providing these lotions for free. It is unfortunate that at the moment we cannot provide spectacles to lack of adequate funding,” she added.

Another worker at ZIMAS, Mrs Munyoro, lauded the government for its assistance. She said rural folk were receiving monthly grants to access free education under the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam) and free medical treatment.

A teacher at a primary school in Avondale, who requested anonymity due to professional reasons, said there was a decline in stigmatisation of albinism.

“There is a decline in cases of harassing people with albinism due to peer education in schools. Many pupils are now informed on what albinism is all about. The ministry now has exam papers with large font for albinos as most are short-sighted,” he said.