UNICEF PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2009
THE AWARD
Each year, UNICEF Germany and GEO Germany (from the publishing house Gruner +Jahr GmbH & Co KG) grant the “UNICEF Photo of the Year Award” to photos and photo series that best depict the personality and living conditions of children worldwide in an outstanding manner.
Johan Bävman is the winner of the competition “UNICEF Photo of the Year 2009”. His reportage depicts the situation of albino children in Tanzania.
JOHAN BÄVMAN, SWEDEN
Deadly superstition
Selina joyfully watches her friend Mwanaidi playing. Selina suffers from a skin pigment disorder. Her body produces nearly no melanin at all. She is one of approx. 150,000 albinos in Tanzania.
© Johan Bävman/Moment
Selina feels safe in her classroom at Mintindo Primary School in Northern Tanzania. Here, she doesn’t need to fear for her life because of her pale skin and white hair. This paleness is the reason that many African albinos are hunted and killed. The local superstition is that their body parts bring luck, wealth, heal the sick, etc.
The belief in ghosts and witchcraft is deeply rooted in Tanzanian culture, especially in rural areas. About three years ago, the country saw a sharp increase in crimes against albinos. Often they are assaulted with the utmost brutality: attackers cut off albino children’s limbs and leave them to bleed to death. According to official sources, more than 40 albinos have been murdered in Tanzania. The government and the authorities have started to persecute the attackers and it now looks as if violence against albinos is declining.
Swedish photographer Johan Bävman accompanied several albinos on the edges of society. Due to the light color of their skin, they are stared at, ridiculed and ostracized. They are called “zeru zeru” – the children of the devil.
Albinos need protection – also against the rays of the sun which are particularly strong in Africa. Many people with albinism, like Saidi Tamin, suffer from skin cancer and their body is covered with ulcers and tumors. Due to his condition, he is not able to work anymore. Together with his 13-year-old son Ally, he now lives on handouts.
Curriculum Vitae: Johan Bävman
Photographer Johan Bävman
© UNICEF/Zimmermann
