No market for albino body parts, Malawi govt study concludes

Malawi government has said research has concluded that there is no market for bones and other body parts of persons with albinism.

Shawa :No trade for albino bones
Shawa :No trade for albino bones

Principal secretary for Gender, Social Welfare and Disability ministry, Dr Mary Shaba told a news conference that those who kill persons with albinism just have illusionary markets.

“We had two case studies. The Dedza killing where some two men took a person with albinism to Mozambique, walking 150 kilometres, killed him and could not find a market for his body parts.

“The traditional healer told the men the buyer was coming from Mozambique, after days he told them they buyers were coming from Middle East and when the body parts started decomposing, the traditional healer run away,” said Shaba.

She started after the traditional healer run away, the men returned to Malawi and their dreams of living in a wealth world shattered and the police arrested them and are now languishing in jail.

Shaba also gave an example of the Ntcheu killing of 34 year old Fletcher Masina.

“The killers had no ready market this is why when they killed Mr Masina, they started calling everybody to buy the body parts. This is how they called the army officer who arranged with the police to arrest them,” she said.

The principal secretary said even traditional leaders told the government sponsored researchers that traditional healers use plant leaves and roots not body parts.

The High Court has since ordered the ban of advertisement of traditional healers in both print and electronic media.

At least 18 persons with albinism have been killed since the wave of the abductions and killings started in 2015 and affected 75 more.

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bakha banda
bakha banda
7 years ago

Mwangowononga ndalama za a Malawi with your childish research. You failed to tackle real questions what is motivating killing of our sons and daughters. Money drainef here for senseless research. Another cashgate Dr Shaba

zako
7 years ago

this is not a study but mere observation. a study could could have started once rumors were ripe that albinos do die but disappear. nothing of this sort happened.
for the information of mary shawa, a research is a systematic investigations into a problem. simple and clear

Lawrence.
Lawrence.
7 years ago

much as i respect the conclusions of the said study, i still feel that there is hidden truth coz utsi sumafuka popanda moto and i think Government needs to go deep with its study bcoz i don’t think some one can easly disclose such purported market coz even our chamba is being sold both locally and internationally but those who benefit from the sale of chamba in large quantities are big shoots and they are untouchables which may also be the case with the albino cases….”if the Government can’t trace the Chamba markets how can it be able to Trace… Read more »

Matako
Matako
7 years ago

Ask Winiko. He did research. Akuti albino hair can be used for making very effective fishing nets

gunsary
gunsary
7 years ago

Mayi Shaba tamakulani….nde bwenzi akuphedwa? Mumati angaulure?

Gogodasi
7 years ago

I think we are mixing up the motive of the albino killers and the market where they can sell the body parts or bones to be specific. The issue at hand is not necessarily the market for albino bones, but rather the ritual which is strongly embedded in the belief of the killers. So if we have to solve this problem, we should look at the issue in totality by not waste time highlighting the market for albino body parts which obviously is true, but rather the belief they have for killing such people. This is where the gist of… Read more »

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