In brief
Mariam Staford, a survivor of a brutal attack linked to election season violence in Tanzania, shares her story of trauma and resilience. The prevalence of superstition surrounding albinism fuels violent attacks, particularly during elections. Activists and government initiatives work to raise awareness and protect vulnerable communities, yet challenges remain.
Fresh trauma arrives with every election season in Tanzania for 42-year-old Mariam Staford.
For most, the fiesta-like rallies and songs, along with the campaign messages, signal a chance for people to make their voice heard. But for those with albinism, they bring terror.
Warning: This article contains details of graphic violence that some people may find upsetting
The first thing that comes to me is fear, Mariam tells the BBC as people prepare to vote for a president and parliament on Wednesday.
I know that killings of people with albinism happen especially at election time in Tanzania, when witchcraft beliefs intensify. That's why I don't take part in campaigns… I am so afraid.
Albinism, which affects an estimated 30,000 people in Tanzania, is a rare genetic condition that reduces melanin - the pigment that gives colour to skin, eyes and hair.
Superstition has made those with the condition targets. The false belief that body parts of people with albinism bring wealth, luck, or political success have driven attacks and killings across Tanzania.
Activists say such assaults intensify in the run-up to an election as people vie for political influence.
Mariam knows what this danger looks and feels like personally. In 2008, one of the bloodiest years for people with albinism in Tanzania, machete-wielding men stormed into her bedroom in Kagera.
They came at a late hour of the night, cut off my right hand [from above the elbow] and took it away, and then they also cut off my left hand. The next day I was taken to a dispensary, unconscious, and the doctor who saw me said: 'This person is already dead, take her back home and bury her'.
Against the odds, Mariam survived; but she was five months pregnant, and her unborn child did not.
The attack not only left her with permanent disabilities but forced her to abandon Kagera, one of the epicentres of ritualistic killings of people with albinism at the time. She eventually resettled in the relative peace of Kilimanjaro region, where a rights group for people with albinism, Under the Same Sun, built her a house and trained her to use a knitting machine. She now makes sweaters.
Seventeen years on, the trauma has not faded. Even now, I sometimes dream of that night, Mariam says. When I wake up, I touch my arms and remember they are not there. It is something I will never escape.
The life of Mariam is just one among many. Under The Same Sun states that there have been 211 incidents targeting people with albinism since 2008, including 79 killings.
Despite government efforts, the menace looms large. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has condemned harmful traditional beliefs, emphasizing that they have no place in Tanzania's future. Activists continue to push for awareness and education, as rural areas remain prone to superstitions.
As the vote approaches, Mariam will not cast a ballot, choosing instead to stay at home, grappling with the shadows of her past and the uncertainty of her future.
