Albino

In Albino, photojournalist Ana Palacios takes us inside a shelter for people with albinism and reveals what daily life is like for those living with the genetic condition in Tanzania.

As Palacios documents, widespread ignorance of the causes of albinism has fed stigmatization, marginalization, persecution, and prejudice within the country. In addition to the social and physical threats that those with albinism face from other Tanzanians, they must also confront the strong possibility of skin cancer—a disease for which effective treatment options can be found in the West, but which in Africa tends to reduce life expectancy for those with albinism to under thirty years. Bearing witness to the efforts of a group of Spanish aid workers to promote health and education in Tanzania, Albino highlights their work on programs to improve patient treatment and training for local doctors. In these subtle, complex, and ultimately optimistic images, Palacios shows the moments of struggle, but also joy, that mark the lives of the residents of the shelter.

Ana Palacios is a photojournalist based in Madrid. Graham Thomson, who studied philosophy and literature at the University of Edinburgh, has translated poetry and prose from Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.