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July 27, 2009

albinoinafrica.jpg

Most enraging news of the year: Albinos in danger in Tanzania
While albinos in sub-Saharan Africa have faced discrimination for many years, their situation has become far more dangerous in recent years in Tanzania. Albinos in Tanzania are increasingly targeted by those who would kill them for their body organs, limbs and even hair to be used in luck potions by others seeking wealth and good fortune in business and professional circles. According to local residents, witch doctors use the organs and bones in concoctions to divine for diamonds in the soil, while fishermen have been known to weave albino hair into their nets hoping for a big catch on Lake Victoria. -- The Big Picture

Every time I think I've seen or heard of the depths of human depravity, something like this disabuses me. It is beyond my capacity to imagine a punishment suitable for men who do this, and traffic in it. Whatever it might be I'd like to help mete it out.

Posted by Vanderleun at July 27, 2009 8:57 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

Remember kids "all cultures are equal" and in another thousand years some African tribes will stop with the human sacrifice and think about how to use the abundant wealth of the continent to do more than throw stones at one another. Well, maybe 2 thousand years, but someday. It could happen.

Wait until the ACLU and Human Rights Watch agitate to give asylum to the albinos and then the witchdoctors that persecute the albinos. The Dems will then pay the withdoctors to harvest organs from the albinos in downtown Detroit as both alternative medicine and cultural expression.

Posted by: Scott M at July 28, 2009 3:00 AM

The killing is done to get medicine to be cured from disease, or get fetishes so that they can succeed in business...

But of course, we westerners are much more subtle: We only kill at the embryo stage to cure disease, and abort fetuses up to the moment of birth for the convenience of mom (or more commonly so dad doesn't have to support his kid).

Posted by: tioedong at July 30, 2009 4:03 PM

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