Everson Luhanga
Back in 2014, Malawi dominated headlines all over the world because of an upsurge of muthi killings of people living with albinism.
Following many people’s intervention including the international community, people living with albinism have found joy living in the country affectionately known as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’, with everyone looking at them as equal in the society.
One fact that symbolises that is the elected member of parliament Overstone Kondowe.
Kondowe of the ruling party, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was on Wednesday declared as winner in Nkhotakota North East Constituency’s by-elections.
“I might be described as an overambitious person – that’s why I had the courage to contest,” Kondowe told the Guardian at his home in the capital, Lilongwe. “But the victory is a clear demonstration that people are changing their altitudes.”
Kondowe said: “There are a lot of beliefs and myths concerning people with albinism and we’re often viewed as second-class citizens or half-humans but because of the number of programmes that we’ve put, including civil education, this time around people accepted my candidature, not looking at albinism as a barrier but they just looked at the merits.
“To me, it’s a success story because I even won with a very big margin,” the new MP said.
Police records show that in the last four months, there were seven attacks on albinos, including killings, attempted abductions, and physical violence. Separately, grave robbers have exhumed corpses to retrieve albinos’ bodies.
The statistics show that since 2014, more than 170 albinos have been attacked in Malawi because of false beliefs that concoctions mixed with their body parts bring luck and wealth.
Young Muhamba president of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) congratulated Kondowe.
Muhamba says the election of Kondowe to parliament sends a clear message that albinos are equal to other Malawians.
Kondowe was President Lazarus Chakwera’s special adviser on persons with albinism and disabilities before he took an oath in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe on Thursday.
Former UN independent expert on albinism Ikponwosa Ero told AFP she was elated by Kondowe’s election.
“Overstone’s election is a giant step forward in the protection of human rights of people with albinism in Malawi and the Africa region as a whole,” she said.
“It shows that the context of discrimination is changing for the better for people with albinism in Malawi.”
Image source: Face2Face Africa
