Striking Bold Strokes: Albinism and Stigma in Malawian Spoken Word Poetry

Abstract

In the past few years, persons with albinism have been attacked and killed in various African countries due to mythical beliefs associated with their bodies. Although various non-governmental organisations have been campaigning actively to stem the violence, there have been some efforts to represent their plight in literary forms, as a way of raising awareness about albinism. In this article, we focus on spoken word poetry emerging from Malawi, one of the countries that have registered high statistics of violence against persons with albinism. Drawing from a close reading of two Malawian spoken word poets, Phindu Banda and Yamikani Mayere, the current article illustrates how Malawian spoken word poetry on albinism exists as an optimal form to express the experiential plight of persons with albinism. The article showcases how the two poets articulate awareness of albinism by interrogating crosscutting issues such as nature and (in)humanity, commodification of the human body, religious faith, and motherhood.