Each time Yvonne Gumbo, who has albinism, and her friends get together for a picture, she insists on being in the center.
"I tell them I make the picture beautiful because I am special," she told The Associated Press at her home in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, recently.
"I have two different colours while they have one. I am black. I am white," she said, smiling. "Who else can make the picture more beautiful?" It's the 22-year old's way of fighting back against the deeply rooted myths and prejudices faced by people with albinism in Zimbabwe, where they are often ostracised, laughed at and pejoratively referred to as "white people" among other names.
While much of the world is engrossed in the race-related outrage over the death of George Floyd in the United States, Zimbabwe's young people with albinism are fighting prejudices against the color of their skin.
In nearby Malawi and Tanzania, many people with albinism are killed because their body parts are thought to bring good luck. No such killings have been reported in Zimbabwe, which has about 70,000 people with albinism out of a population of about 15 million.
But prejudices remain deep-rooted.
Some people stare, whistle or verbally abuse those with albinism when they walk along the streets. Some believe sleeping with them can cure HIV. Many others treat albinism as a curse.
But for Gumbo, none of that bothers her anymore.
