Social seclusion, prejudice and superstition are part of the daily tribulations faced by albinos in Africa. But they are fighting back for better rights and acceptance. Reto Kuster and our correspondents report.

Asked what the local Shona word "Sope" means, most Zimbabweans are likely to tell you it is something magical, inhabited by powerful and bad spirits. Albinos are called "sope" in Zimbabwe.

In many parts of Africa, albinism has for centuries been viewed as a curse. But albinism is inherited as a recessive gene.

From the Latin word 'albus' meaning white, albinism is caused by the lack of the skin pigment called melanin, which provides protection against the ultra-violate rays of the sun. Instead of the normal African skin colours, albinos have a pale or pink complexion and their hair is yellowish or blond.

Because of the lack of melanin, their skin is oversensitive to sunlight and skin disorders. They are therefore prone to skin cancers. They also suffer from short-sightedness. In Zimbabwe and Malawi, for example, many of them die of skin cancer and few reach the age of 60 or above.

The multiple skin cancers present a horrific appearance and the condition is often misunderstood to be contagious. As a result albinos often face isolation and exclusion from group activities, for example, in schools and workplaces.

Zimbabwe alone is estimated to have 4,000 albinos. Yet ignorance about this medical condition is still rampant throughout Africa. Social attitudes towards albinos range from lack of understanding, fear of the unknown and prejudice.

In rural Zimbabwe, in the past, newborn albinos were sometimes killed right after birth. Although the practice is less common today, it is still practised in some rural areas in Tanzania, according to the Tanzanian Albino Society (TZA). Other cultural myths run from notions that albinos have evil powers, are sadistic and even villainous.

Even today, albinos are often discriminated against in many areas of life: school, jobs and even social life. They are sometimes denied jobs because some employers believe albinos have a short life span.

Felicity Mwamuka lives in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. She has a diploma in secretarial studies but she has never had a job. "Employers always said, more or less, during the interviews that an albino secretary woud hurt the company's reputation," Felicity told New African. The catering industry in Zimbabwe is closed to albinos because people wrongly believe that albinism is contagious.

"Recently, I gave a banana to a female beggar with a child in the street," Felicity told New African. "I told her to give it to her small child. She threw it away as if it was poisonous."

In Malawi, it is common belief that albinos have a low brain capacity and unable to function at the same level as "normal people".

Most female albinos stay unmarried because men shun them for fear of having albino children with them. In many countries in Africa, there are no deliberate official campaigns to educate the public on albinism. But in Tanzania, where the TZA has a membership of 4,000 out of an estimated 170,000 albinos in the country, they are educating the public that albinism is not a curse but a medical condition that can be managed.

Indeed, with appropriate skin protection, such as sunscreen lotions rated 20 or higher, and wearing opaque clothing, the life-threatening skin cancers can be avoided. But without help from governments, these products are usually beyond the pockets of albinos since most of them are unemployed.

Medical studies show that albinos have problems with vision as a result of abnormal development of the retina, and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eyes and the brain. Therefore they need special glasses to protect them, and to help with reading. But these are often very expensive.

Most albinos in Africa have a hard time leading successful lives. The famous Malian musician, Salif Keita, an albino, had a tough time as a child and teenager. He and his mother were made outcasts from their home village. No wonder, his music career was largely made in faraway Paris. Not until he was a big star, could he return to Mali as an "accepted" person. Today, he uses his popularity to educate his country of the real facts about albinism.

The stigma attached to albinism is usually a source of great anguish and shame to parents. Many do not send their children to school because of the belief that an albino child is retarded and cannot compete favourably with other children, and therefore cannot succeed in life.

Two years ago, a couple of albinos founded the Albino Association of Zimbabwe (AAZ). Their main goal was to give society the real facts about albinism and to fight the prejudice against albinos. They have since had support from the local office of a global sun cream manufacturer who recently donated several boxes of sun cream to the association. Some opticians have also donated used glasses.

A similar group in Malawi, the Albino Association of Malawi (AAM) is vigorously campaigning against social discrimination. "We are trying to negotiate with teachers that albinos should be left to learn at the same rate like any other children. We want recognition and acceptance because we are also human beings," says Tonney Nyumayo of the AAM. One of the proirities of the Association is the fight against the belief that albinos have a low brain capacity and thus cannot function at the same level as "normal" people.

In fact albino success stories are a rarity. Which makes Stanley Gunda's an exception. He lives in Zimbabwe and has a lot of self-confidence. His job? Senior finance officer in the ministry of home affairs. He says: "You have to close your ears sometimes to avoid hearing all the bad stories about albinos. Every day brings something negative connected with the appearance of my skin. You can dress as stylishly as possible but you are still socially unacceptable."

Gunda remembers how even as a child growing up in rural Chiweshi, he felt excluded and was not allowed to join other children playing football and other team games. "My father bought me toys in order to keep me occupied and satisfied," he told New African. He had nine siblings, four were albinos; two have since died of skin cancer.

Gunda is married to a non-albino woman and has two children, both are dark-skinned.

In many countries, and especially Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa albinos are now demanding to be part and parcel of the societies they live in without being seen as different, or unable to do what "normal" folk do. Gradually, they are winning their case.