ANA PALACIOS, SPAIN
TANZANIA: STRONGER THAN THE SUN
Time and again, photographers have reported on the fate of albinos in Africa – and on the danger these white-skinned children live in due to the horrible superstition that their body parts have supernatural properties and can bring good luck.

© Ana Palacios, Spain (Free Lance Photographer)
Spanish photojournalist Ana Palacios, born in 1984, not only raised the alarm on the issue but also went looking for official help for albinos. She found it in the Tanzanian city of Kabanga, where albino children are protected against an even greater threat: the sun. As people with albinism have a lack of melanin (pigment) in their skin, they are at increased risk of sunburn and developing skin cancer before the age of thirty if not properly protected.
Palacios’ photos, such as the one of Kelen, who loves to dance in the half-built rooms of the Kabanga Refuge Center, capture the vitality and happiness of children who get the chance to feel protected. Ana Palacios aims to bring light into the dark corners of our world. That’s why her main focus lies on human rights issues such as child enslavement. Palacios’ work is regularly published in major international magazines; she was honored with numerous exhibitions and awards and, as a movie production coordinator, worked with the likes of Milos Forman, Jim Jarmusch and Ridley Scott.
Curriculum Vitae: Ana Palacios (Free Lance Photographer)

© Ana Palacios