Ritual murders of people with albinism on the rise. Help the most vulnerable

Help for People with Albinism in Zambia

For the past three years, the Born Different project has been working to improve the lives of people with albinism in Zambia. Thanks to your support, we have been able to help dozens of families in Lusaka and the Eastern Province – distributing hundreds of bottles of sunscreen, school supplies, and medicines.

Our efforts focus on the most vulnerable – mothers and children with albinism, survivors of ritual attacks, and families of the deceased.

We have helped several families secure their homes, provided medical care for a mother with skin cancer and her young children, and supplied eyeglasses so that children with albinism can continue their education.

Thank you for your support and for helping us make a positive difference in people’s lives!❤️

New Epicentre of Ritual Killings along the Zambia-Tanzania Border

In May 2025, we travelled to Nakonde in the Muchinga Province, a new epicentre of ritual killings of people with albinism located on the border between Zambia and Tanzania. Our journey took us to the village of Lyuchi, where, just two months ago, 25-year-old Michael Simuntala, a young man with albinism, was tragically and brutally murdered

A group of young attackers, led by a traditional healer from Tanzania, lured Michael from his home under the pretext of going for a beer in a nearby village.

On the way back, Michael's friends brutally killed him – cutting off both his hands with machete, removing his tongue, and pulling out his teeth.

His body was buried in the bush near the main road. The victim’s family and the villagers were shocked by the brutality of the attack. In Zambia, it is believed that body parts of people with albinism possess magical powers and can be sold for a high price, bringing business success or political influence to those who use them. Ritual killings of people with albinism have been on the rise here since 2016.

Michael was known as a friendly and hardworking person who led a church choir and was planning to get married. Immediately after his disappearance, the villagers began a search and, after two days, found his mutilated body in a shallow grave. The police quickly arrested seven suspects, including a 62-year-old traditional healer and several of Michael’s close friends, who confessed to the crime. At the time of our visit to Nakonde, the suspects managed to escape police custody…

Other Cases in the Area

Michael's brutal murder is not an isolated incident in this district.

Just days after Michaels's death, another young man with albinism was brutally murdered in a neighbouring border village.

Fearing for their safety, the young man's family fled the village.

Compared to the capital city of Zambia, people with albinism live here in extreme danger. They are afraid to leave their homes or send their children to school. It is rare to see them in public. This illustrates the story of Maria, a young woman with albinism from the village of Katozi, who survived a ritual attack three years ago thanks to the incredible courage of her husband, who fought off attackers armed with machetes and gun. Her sister, also living with albinism in the same village, survived a similar attack just a few years earlier. Unknown assailants attacked her at night in her own home, where she was sleeping with her family. Thanks to the timely intervention of neighbours, she managed to escape death. Her hands still bear the scars from the machete attack.

These and other stories have strengthened our core mission: to combat ritual killings and to protect the lives of people with albinism.

Living in Fear Without Any Support

People with albinism in the Nakonde area live in constant fear for their lives. This poverty-stricken region is a breeding ground for ritual murders, kidnappings, grave robberies, and the trafficking of body parts. The unrestricted movement of people and goods across the Zambia-Tanzania border encourages smuggling and all kinds of illegal activities. Local media, with few exceptions, ignore these human rights violations.

No non-profit organizations currently operate in this region to provide direct support to people with albinism.

S.O.S. Fundraiser for People with Albinism in Zambia

Our campaign, including a financial fundraiser, aims to prevent ritual attacks and ensure the safety of people with albinism in the Muchinga Province of Zambia. Their safety and the protection of their lives is our top priority.

How We Plan to Achieve This Goal?

• Personal Alarms – We plan to distribute personal alarms to vulnerable individuals with albinism. When activated, the alarm emits an extremely loud siren, audible up to 400 meters, which helps deter attackers, gives victims a chance to escape, and alerts others nearby to the danger.

• Home Security – We plan to secure homes with metal bolts and locks. Most people with albinism live in traditional village huts that lack any form of security.

• Community Program and Collaboration with Local Chiefs – We plan to launch a field-based community program focused on raising awareness about the dangers of ritual attacks and fighting the myths surrounding albinism. In Zambia, many believe that people with albinism are not human but spirits who never die, or that parts of their bodies have magical powers. Involving local chiefs, who have direct influence over their communities, is key to this effort.

ABOUT THE BORN DIFFERENT PROJECT

This fundraiser is part of the Born Different project, founded by Czech anthropologist Kateřina Mildnerová and Mozambican photojournalist Antonio Cossa. The project creatively combines anthropology and photojournalism and is based on a series of team field studies (2023-2025) and direct material support of families with albinism in Zambia (2024-2025). The project also includes a traveling photo exhibition, a series of lectures, and a forthcoming popular science book.

Our main goal is to raise public awareness about the injustice, discrimination, and human rights violations faced by people with albinism in Africa, particularly in Zambia, where ritual murders, kidnappings, and mutilations occur annually without adequate attention. We strive to improve their extremely challenging living conditions through public charitable fundraising.

For more information, visit our website: www.borndifferent.upol.cz

Follow our activities on Facebook: Born Different

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS OF THE FUNDRAISING

Katerina Mildnerova

A Czech social and cultural anthropologist specializing in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2015, she has been working as a researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Sociology, Andragogy, and Cultural Anthropology at Palacký University in Olomouc, the Czech Republic. Since 2019, she has been the chairwoman of the Czech Association for African Studies. She has conducted dozens of anthropological fieldworks in Zambia, Benin, and Namibia, and has lectured at several universities across Africa and Europe. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and five monographs of her own. She also co-authored the successful documentary film Black Czechs (2022). Since 2023 she has been working on the Born Different Project with António Cossa.

António Cossa

An independent photojournalist originally from Mozambique, based in Prague. He has worked as a documentary photographer since 2004, collaborating with institutions such as the British Council and UNICEF. He has had a rich professional career focusing on war, refugee crisis and social issues in the Middle East and Africa. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, he has been officially accredited by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence as a war photojournalist. In recent years he has also photographed climate refugees in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai. He is also a portrait photographer and has photographed many of the world’s most famous people, including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Vaclav Havel, Jean Reno and Johnny Depp. His portfolio includes dozens of exhibitions around the world, lectures and workshops for students and the general public. Antonio Cossa is also a founder of the non-governmental organization Frontline Care whose main objective is to support victims of climate change and war refugees. As a co-founder of Born different Project, he is consistently dedicated to improving the living conditions of people with albinism and raising awareness of their rights.

Thank in advance to everyone who decides to donate to help people with albinism in Zambia. Your help is greatly appreciated!