Africa's 'Golden Voice' Shines Light on a Plight

Africa's albinos stand out dramatically; they're called derogatory names -- "ghosts" and "peeled potatoes" are some of the gentler ones -- and bizarre myths have grown up around them. Some cultures, for instance, think albinos just vanish rather than actually die. Many of the superstitions are harmless, like the one that says drinking Fanta orange soda can lead to the conception of an albino baby. But others are more insidious: A recent rise in rapes of albino women is being attributed to a belief that having sex with an albino can cure HIV-AIDS.

While the social discrimination is often fierce, the main problem most African albinos face is simply staying alive. Since their skin lacks protection against the brutal sun, skin cancer is a constant threat, with treatment expensive and often unavailable. Poor eyesight keeps many from finishing school, leading to perceptions that they are weak or mentally deficient.

So in 1991, Keita helped to found a foundation called SOS Albinos in Bamako and returned permanently to Mali in 2004 to devote more time to the cause. He's distributed glasses and thousands of tubes of free sunscreen to Mali's albinos, established a hospital for skin cancer patients and worked to help integrate them into society though education.

Keita plans to expand his campaign across Africa, and recently launched the Salif Keita Global Foundation ( http://salifkeita.org ) to raise money for free health care and educational services. There are a few other support groups across the continent, including Tanzania's Albino Society, the Albino Association of Zimbabwe and the Albino Association of Malawi, but they are marginally funded at best; few outside observers see dramatic improvements coming in most albinos' lives.

"Beyond finding the albinism gene, there's precious little research being done" to understand the condition or prevent new cases, says NOAH's McGowan.

But Keita remains determined.

"One day, there will be no more albinos. We'll find a solution for it, so that when you're born, you're normal," he says. "We will find a solution -- I'm sure."