Born Too White

Documentary uncovering the discrimination and persecution of people with albinism in Tanzania and Malawi in East Africa. NHS doctor Oscar Duke, who himself has albinism, embarks on a personal journey to discover what life is like for people who share his condition in these countries. In Tanzania, home to among the highest proportion of people living with albinism in the world, people with albinism are vulnerable not only to bigotry, but also mutilation and murder. Oscar has taken a long time to come to terms with his condition, even hiding it from his wife when they first started dating. Now that they are planning a family, he has become even more interested in albinism and discovered that in East Africa, many live in fear of their lives.

Oscar himself struggled with the visual impairment albinism causes, but feels he has never really suffered from serious discrimination. In contrast, the stigma that surrounds people with albinism has been greatly ingrained within some African societies for many generations. In the last ten years alone, there have been a staggering 170 attacks in Tanzania, 70 of which were fatal.

This film explores why these terrible crimes are taking place and who is responsible. Oscar meets young people facing the brunt of this discrimination, from a boy whose arm was hacked off to the children placed in a secure camp for people with albinism in Tanzania. Oscar also attempts to challenge the very people responsible for making the lives of people with albinism a living hell. He confronts locals and their superstitions head-on, meeting a traditional 'healer' to understand the sway witchcraft has over African society, and in Malawi, comes face to face with an 'albino hunter' imprisoned for murder.

Next episode

S2017E05 - The Attack: Terror in the UK