BY KUDAKWASHE TAGWIREYI AN activist for people with albinism, Marvelous Tshuma has lamented the stigmatisation faced by people living with the condition, adding that she was abandoned by her father as a child.
Tshuma, who is also the Noble Hands Trust deputy director and Albinism Konect ambassador, revealed how she first experienced stigma as an infant in an interview on the popular platform, In Conversation with Trevor.
“I was born in Binga. When I was born, my father denied me, stating that my biological father was the white man who preached at a parish where my mother worked. My mother tried to explain that I was an albino, but my father could not understand and this led to a brief divorce,” Tshuma said.
“My father didn’t love me that much, so his passing away didn’t affect me that much because I never experienced what fatherly love meant.”
Tshuma also revealed how she feared sexual abuse growing up in Binga because of myths that suggested that being intimate with people with albinism cured illnesses such as HIV and Aids.
According to her, it was stigmatisation that resulted in her pursuing a career in music and arts.
“If all things go well I have prospects of having a choir like the Joyous Celebration, for people with albinism only. So that people could be enlightened,” she said
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She said there was a need to offer sufficient healthcare for people with albinism such as optical services and making sure that skin lotions and moisturisers are available and affordable.
People with albinism are said to be at risk of contracting skin cancers.
In Conversation with Trevor is a weekly show broadcast on YouTube.com//InConversationWithTrevor. Please get your free YouTube subscription to this channel. The conversations are sponsored by Nyaradzo Group.
