Albinism Stories

WRITTEN BY MR HARRY FREELAND, 2006.


Alfred sits in the front seat of the car. His dark shades make him appear ten years younger than he is. He heckles and shouts out at people as we drive past them, cracking jokes and amusing us with his infectious laughter. Although often serious in his tone, it is not uncommon for Alfred to belch half way through a sentence and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Alfred Kapole is 44 years old. He has a non-Albino wife, Sikuzania A. Kapole age 25 and two non-Albino children, Judith A. Kapole aged 10 and Passikazia A. Kapole aged 3.

Alfred is the chairman of the Ukerewe Albino society. Proud of his duties, he cycles for miles from his home in a remote part of the island to attend any necessary society meetings in the main town of Ukerewe, Nansio.

Alfred has a rare gift of being able to break down all language barriers, encouraging communication with a simple laugh or a smile. This natural ability was not only helpful to our communication, but when entering villages where some people reacted badly to the survey or our presence his reaction was so effective when calming the situation. When conducting the survey Alfred appeared to come into his own once counseling others, sharing his own experiences, listening to theirs and making people realize they were not alone.

Alfred is in great health for an African Albino of his age. He is the oldest Albino we know of on the island and lives life extremely positively. Recently I heard Alfred had been asked to become the chairman of the Mwanza albino society on mainland Tanzania. This will be a great honor for Alfred, although I hope he doesn't abandon his duties at home.
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