Yellowman's fight for albino rights and protection

Gaborone City councillors have adopted a motion calling for the formulation of a Policy focusing on the protection of people with Albinism.

Councillor Sergeant Kgosietsile of Marulamantsi Ward in Gaborone Bonnington South presented the motion during the ongoing Gaborone full council meeting.
Kgosietsile, also known as Yellowman,  asked the council to request Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to formulate a Policy that provides for subsidy of skin protection system and protection of the rights of people with albinism.

“The physical appearance of persons with albinism is often the object of erroneous beliefs and myths influenced by superstition, which fosters their marginalization and social exclusion. This leads to various forms of stigma and discrimination. People with Albinism say they use expensive products that are only afforded by well-off families while the poor are left vulnerable to skin diseases such as cancer. For instance, a small cream can cost you P400.00,” he argued.

Kgosietsile stated that these people have to go for medical attention every three months. He said people with Albinism usually have a short life span because they cannot afford special treatment that their skin requires. He said if there exists a subsidy then they can take care of themselves. He called on government to also include people with Albinism in the category of people living with disability so that it would be easy for government to take care of them. He said people with Albinism are not protected.He explained that Albinism is still profoundly misunderstood, socially and medically.

“There is still too much discrimination. We need public education about this condition so that our society will accept these people. There are still perceptions about Albinism. People still believe that if you have Albinism you do not die but rather you disappear. We know about the ritual murders in other African countries, so knowing how Batswana like to copy things from other countries, very soon we might have such cases here if these people are not protected. We do not even know - maybe when they say we do not die but disappear, they would have killed such a person and spread around such myth of disappearance.” In calling for the need for protection of people with Albinism, he said anyone who peddles the disappearance theories should be punished and any form of discrimination against them has to be punishable by law.

Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited condition, which occurs worldwide regardless of ethnicity or gender. It most commonly results in the lack of melanin pigment in the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to sun exposure. This can lead to skin cancer and severe visual impairment. Both parents must carry the gene for it to be passed on to their children, even if they do not themselves have manifestations of the condition. Kgosietsile told the meeting that the Albinism Society of Botswana approached him about the challenges they face in the society.