A TRADITIONAL healer who used his slot on state-owned television monopoly ZTV to make shocking claims about albinisim has brought both himself and the broadcaster under fire from human rights bodies and activists.
On Monday, Patriarch Nyaude claimed on ZTV that a concoction made from a mixture of dried termites and soil from a pregnant woman’s footprint poured onto a termite mound, followed by some occult incantations turns the human embryo into an albino.
The remarks invited a backlash and by yesterday morning, ordinary Zimbabweans and civil society organisations were breathing fire over the utterances demanding corrective action from government.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) stressed that albinism is only a clinical situation and no longer in any respect associated with witchcraft.
“ZADHR urges the nationwide broadcaster ZTV and the Ministry of Information to publicly factor a observation denouncing the harmful lies expressed by means of Mr Nyaude. In addition, ZTV must air a program devoted to teaching the country about Albinism and the more than a few demanding situations confronted by means of this segment of the neighborhood and the more than a few tactics people and communities can give a contribution to make stronger the lives of this prone crew.
“We call for extra accountable airing of techniques from the nationwide broadcaster. In Tanzania, greater than 90 other folks with albinism were murdered for ritual functions since 2000. The final thing we would like is our inhabitants associating some spirituality or witchcraft, with genetic issues, to not even point out the stigma that can get up from such reporting.
“These ideals and myths stem from incorrect information and lies which can be systematically pedalled to target one particular neighborhood, and it is rather unlucky that the nationwide broadcaster determined to air such perspectives with out a counter narrative from clinical professionals.”
Human Rights Watch Southern Africa director Dewa Mavhinga said: “The ZBC TV acted irresponsibly when it aired on the night of December 10 a programme on healing and spirit medium in which one Patriarch Nyaude made outrageous and patently false claims that Albinism is caused by witchcraft.
“It is dangerous for ZBC TV to allow people like Nyaude to propagate their false claims because in countries like Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania people with albinism have been hunted down and killed or maimed for their body parts based on false beliefs that their body parts have healing powers and that their bones glow in the dark.
“A national broadcaster must not be used to perpetuate false and harmful beliefs. We urge the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission to urgently intervene and have the ZBC put on air a proper medical expert to correct Nyaude’s falsehoods. If these falsehoods are not quickly corrected, they could lead to harm for children and people living with albinism.”
Mercy Maunganidze director of Zimbabwe Albino Association bemoaned lack of sensitive reporting by ZBC.
“That’s madness, they need psychiatric help. Albinism is a genetic condition that is hereditary from parents. People who say such things must be arrested because we have been trying to demystify these beliefs, but they continue to be perpetuated,” she said.
“The media should play a role in demystifying some of these beliefs, yet they are at the forefront spreading such information. Albinism is not found in humans only, but even in animals, so can that person also explain how the same witchcraft happens to animals. Imagine in areas where there is no access to information and children living with albinism are exposed to such information, what will happen to them? They will be traumatised.”
Zimbabwe Peace Project said Nyaude’s views promote hate and perpetuate stereotyping of people with disability in violation of the Constitution.
“The utterances by Nyaude buttress the mistaken belief that albinism is a result of evil spirits which has resulted in persons with albinism being rejected, discriminated against or killed for ritual purposes.”
NewsDay