In-Between Violence and Humanitarian Mercy: Western Media Portrayals of Albinism in Tanzania

A series of violence and assaults on people with albinism in various African countries and, specifically, Tanzania have attracted the attention of national and international media companies, humanitarian organizations, and various political institutions since the early 2000s. Journalistic reports, documentaries and films have focused on such events describing life experiences of persons with the condition and their socio-cultural milieus in diverging ways. Through the examination of two of the most relevant documentaries produced by media companies from the Global North, the present chapter explores how media productions display issues related to albinism in the African continent. Related points of analysis regard the ways these two documentaries portray “traditional” healing practices and humanitarian activities carried out by international and national NGOs.