Today, June 13, is International Albinism Awareness Day. It’s a day set aside by the United Nations (UN) to bring to the world’s attention the challenges and discrimination faced by persons with albinism as well as promote efforts to end such. To mark this year’s Albinism Day, the Onome Akinlolu Majaro (OAM)Foundation, organised a talk whereby participants, with one voice said persons with albinism are as much of God’s creation as any dark-skinned person. Assistant Editor, CHINWE MADUAGWU, reports.
In his famous ‘I have a dream speech,’ Martin Luther King Jr. said; “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character…” In that speech, King, of course, was talking about black segregation in the United States, but it aptly captures the feelings, yearnings and hopes of persons living with albinism (PWA).
Yes, they look forward to a time when people will encounter them and look beyond their complexion to see their humanity, their uniqueness, their intelligence, their strength, and yes, their weakness because they are human.
They yearn for a time, and the UN is solidly with them, when they will be seen and treated as humans without any appellations.
To mark this year’s International Albinism Awareness Day, the Onome Akinlolu Majaro (OAM) Foundation, organised a talk for some young persons with albinism to equip them on how to operate on the world stage and be successful.
According to Mr. Chimezie Judemary Udechukwu, a Human Resource Practitioner with a logistics and haulage firm and Brand Ambassador for Public Relations and Strategy, OAM Foundation, the organisation decided to do something different from the usual this year, hence the talk.
“We want to look at the issues concerning people with albinism, we are here to change the narrative. For our organisation the focus is “changing negative perceptions, clarifying myths,” about persons with albinism, how we are perceived in the society, the fact that we cannot excel at what we set our minds to do, the fact that we cannot get to the height of whatever endeavours we undertake.
“So we brought the youths together and equally young speakers to talk to them on how to be competitive in the market place.”
According to him, persons with albinism are not asking for pity, but to be given equal opportunities in the market place. They should be judged based on their intellectual capabilities and not their complexion, he said, stressing the fact that people with albinism can do anything and everything a dark-skinned person can do, the only difference being their lack of melanin and pigmentation.
Mr. Udechukwu, however, acknowledged that to leverage on opportunities, persons with albinism have to be prepared. To further promote that philosophy, the Foundation shot and presented a short film titled “Beyond the complexion.”
The film featuring popular Nollywood actor, Ada Ossai, a person with albinism, tells the story of a young girl with albinism who was despised by her father until a family visit to a medical doctor put him straight on what albinism was all.
The film encourages people with albinism to follow their dreams and not succumb to self pity. It also teaches parents that love will bring out the best in their children irrespective of the skin colour.
Speaking to the participants on how to have an edge in the job market, Mr. Paschal Ezekwe, a HR Personnel with Forte Oil, noted that society is built on leveraging on opportunities adding “opportunities don’t care about your complexion.”
He spoke further, “the society has a job for everybody, but not everybody is ready for the job. Push yourself out, let people see you and what you can do and people will recommend you.”
Mr. Ezekwe pointed out that a lot of people hide behind their complexion and complain that companies don’t want to employ them, insisting that no company employs on sympathy. “Get yourself a mentor, build your confidence, self pity will not get you a job. Don’t go for a job you don’t have a passion for, you’ll be a failure,” he advised.
Furthermore, he pointed out that first impression mattered a lot. His words, “the first impression matters and you make that first impression through your CV. An employer will see your CV before your complexion. To get a job, your résumé has to be top notch, it must command respect and be able to draw attention to you.”
Speaking on the health aspect, Dr. Umeti Iguaba of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, advised that persons with albinism must always use sun screen. According to her, the lack of melanin makes them susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer. She noted that Shea butter (ori), could serve as a cheap and available sunscreen.
She also advised them to wear a hat to shield them from the sun. She spoke further, “if you see any strange lesson on your skin, see a dermatologist. Eat a lot of vegetables and drink a lot of water.” She equally advised them to always keep regular appointments with their ophthalmologist.
Mrs. Beatrice Owuru, married to a person with albinism shared exclusively with The Next Edition her story. According to her, she and her husband were introduced by her elder sister, who was friends with the man. “My sister told me she had a friend who was looking for a wife and asked me if I wanted to marry him. I told her that I would not marry someone I have not seen and I was going to school. She tried to describe him, that the person is oyibo, that he has black hair but white skin. I still refused to give an answer because in our family we don’t marry through pictures. My father insisted he must see the person.
“My sister said she would send his picture to me and that I should send mine. I still told her that was not acceptable that I must see him physically. The day he came, we talked and accepted each other. My father asked him about his work and whether he could feed me, he said yes and that was it.”
According to Mrs.Owuru, from the first day the man came, her family accepted him. “They didn’t look at the colour of his skin. My father said he cannot reject anybody because it is God that created him the way he is.” She told Next Edition that though some of her friends tried to discourage her from marrying an ‘albino,’ she didn’t listen to them.
Mr. Marville Owuru on his part, told the Next Edition that he was quite happy being married to Beatrice. “I had some challenges getting a wife so when I met her and she accepted to marry me, I was happy. When we met she didn’t give any excuses, she didn’t look at my skin colour. Some people in her family wanted to come between us but her elder sister encouraged her so much that she should not look at the complexion aspect but on the heart. She pointed out to her that there were blacks (dark skinned people) who misbehave.”
The Owurus who have been married for close to three years and blessed with two children told the Next Edition that they were happy with the choices they made.
Speaking on Tuesday, ahead of International Albinism Awareness Day, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero, said, “Today, we celebrate the remarkable contributions of persons with albinism including Goldalyn Kakuya, a 14-year-old girl with albinism, who topped Kenya’s national primary school exams in December and shattered stereotypes and myths. Indeed, it is still often believed that persons with albinism are unable to learn. This prejudice illustrates the particular discrimination they face regarding access to education, including persistent bullying and the absence of reasonable accommodation for the vision impairment that is often part of albinism.
Similarly, six women with albinism including victims of attacks and mutilation are currently preparing to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, shattering myths about albinism from one of the highest points in the world. This campaign is a richly symbolic demonstration of the capabilities of women with albinism.
“While we celebrate, we take a moment to reflect on those who have been attacked and lost their lives or were mutilated because they have albinism. I am heartened by the commitment to putting these atrocities to an end. Indeed the battle continues, but we are gaining ground.
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“In light of the fundamental pledge made in 2015 by all member states of the United Nations to leave no one behind, starting with the furthest behind first, it is essential for all stakeholders to support persons with albinism in their quest for the enjoyment of their human rights. There are challenges but these are evidently surmountable.”
Ms. Ikponwosa Ero, a Nigerian, was designated in June 2015 as the first UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism by the Human Rights Council. Inspired by her experiences as a person with albinism, Ms. Ero spent the last seven years working on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. As international advocacy and legal officer of Under the Same Sun, an NGO with a focus on albinism, she participated in multiple activities and panels at the UN in Geneva and New York.
International Albinism Awareness Day was established in 2014 by a UN Resolution. The theme for this year is, “shining our light to the world.”
