A Friend Killed, And Inquiries Shelved: Life Fighting The Stigma Of Albinism In Malawi

People with albinism are often attacked and even killed for body parts. As elections approach, activist Tonney Mkwapatira fears the situation may get worse Tonney Mkwapatira was making a rare visit back to his home village from the Malawian city of Blantyre when he saw his childhood friend for the last time. Just a week after Mkwapatira returned to Blantyre he heard that his friend, a security guard for a church, had been murdered. His name was Chikumbutso Masina and we used to chat almost every day. We looked alike and it was painful when people missed him because they used to ask me questions like, Oh we heard that you had died? It really touched me and I will never forget, he says.