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(Ring ring alarmclock)
It is nine o'clock on Sunday morning. I have to get up.
I live in Soweto. It's a black township near Johannesburg.
(Ntswaki in front of mirror, combs her white hair)
My name is Ntswaki Mosohlo and I am a student. I am alsó what they call an albíno. It means that I have no pigmentation. So my skin is white, my hair is yellow and my eyes are light blue. But believe it or not: both my parents are black.
My father was shocked when I was born. He did not accept me as his child and ran away.
Ntswaki Mosohlo
I wanted to have a father so much, so it made me feel bad, that my father was not there for me. He did not want to accept me.
This is my mom, Adelina. She was surprised when I was born, but she always took care of me.
Adelina Mosohlo, mother
Ntswaki was born and he (the father) was told that Ntswaki is an albino and then he did nothing to support me during that time. So Ntswaki was raised by me and my mother and my father.
Voice over:
Albinism is a genetic disease. If both parents carry a specific malfunctioning gene, they can get an albino-child. One out of fourthousand South Africans is albino. That number is five times higher then the number in, for example, Europe.
Bye mom!
Voice over:
The reason for this high number is that in South Africa certain ethnic groups often intermarry in their own family.If the malfunctioning albino-gene is in that family, the chance of getting a child with albinisme is much higher. But even though there are relatively many albinos in South Africa, society is not really accepting them.
(ntswaki gets into a minibus-taxi)
Some people feel ackward when I get into the taxi. They think that albinism is contagious. There are women who spit on their breasts when they see me. They think that will help them not getting it. Others just don't look at me. It is all rubbish, but what can I do?
I am going to visit Precious. She is black but her son, Manqobo, is white. He has albinisme. People with albinism always have a very sensitive skin. That is why we have to put on suncream every day. But it is expensive. Precious has to find the money on her own, because her boyfriend ran away. He did not want his albino-son. Just like my father. I feel sorry for her.
Voice over
Before having her son, Precious didnt know what albinism was. Ntswaki can explain her many things. But to prepare Precious for all the gossip to come, is very difficult.
Knock knock. How are you?
- I am fine? And you?
Fine
- Let's go and sit outside
OK
Voice over
Because for example how does one react to people who say: He, how is it possible that you have a white child. You must have slept with a white man!
Precious Philisewe, mother of Manqobo
Yeh, they say to me that I was sleeping with a white guy. But I say no, it is a black one. Yeh, I explained to them : it is a black guy.
(I do not care whether people say: "You have albinisme". Or you know if they do that (spitting) or if I come past them and they say : "Legoa Legoa!" (= White, white!)
-Yes I do not like that because if I go with my child. They call my child: "Legoa".)
(ntswaki walks past a group of guys)
I guess I am lucky because I do get boyfriends. But sometimes I am afraid that a boy only wants to try me out.
- Hi sweetie, how is it, sweetie, can I come with you sweetie, ok sweetie.
He only wants to sleep with me and dump me.
Ntswaki Mosohlo
I don't want a boyfriend who has got albinisme. I want a boyfriend who doesn't have the condition. Because it is like I would be scared of other people. It is like I'll be scared to face life.
(ntswaki meets albino-friends)
It is four o'clock. When I am together with my friends who also have albinisme, I forget about my colour. We just talk and laugh about all the stupid myths that exists.
All that about us curing aids. There was a case in Katlehong. This nyanga (=traditionele dokter) wanted blood from this lady with albinimse. She said she wanted to cure some disease.
Maybe she wanted to cure aids.
- They used to say if you sleep with a child you can be cured.
Now they are moving to us.
Voice over:
People with albinism are constantly subject to superstition. Some traditional doctors, also called nyangas or sangomas, are spreading rumours about being able to cure AIDS. It seems as if they think: the more superstition, the more clients we get. But sangoma Winnie gets angry when she hears the curing of AIDS-stories. She knows that men might misuse this kind of gossip to rape albino-girls.
Winnie Tshabalala, traditional healer
They do it just to abuse people. There is nothing like that. I am telling you. If you cut them there is coming red blood, not blue or yellow. So I do not think that by having sex with them you will be cured of aids.
(ntswaki watches tv and then goes to bed)
When I am at home. I like to watch TV. Especially movies where white and black are just living together as friends. It was not like that in South Africa, and I still find that difficult. I feel that I am somewhere on a strange place in between: not white enough, not black enough. Nowhere to fall.
It is late and I write down what I did todya. Now I just want go to sleep and dream about a good job. A husband and maybe one day four children.
Their colour ....... ?
To be honest....... I hope my guy and kids will all be black.
Light goes out.
End of report
(Ring ring alarmclock)
It is nine o'clock on Sunday morning. I have to get up.
I live in Soweto. It's a black township near Johannesburg.
(Ntswaki in front of mirror, combs her white hair)
My name is Ntswaki Mosohlo and I am a student. I am alsó what they call an albíno. It means that I have no pigmentation. So my skin is white, my hair is yellow and my eyes are light blue. But believe it or not: both my parents are black.
My father was shocked when I was born. He did not accept me as his child and ran away.
Ntswaki Mosohlo
I wanted to have a father so much, so it made me feel bad, that my father was not there for me. He did not want to accept me.
This is my mom, Adelina. She was surprised when I was born, but she always took care of me.
Adelina Mosohlo, mother
Ntswaki was born and he (the father) was told that Ntswaki is an albino and then he did nothing to support me during that time. So Ntswaki was raised by me and my mother and my father.
Voice over:
Albinism is a genetic disease. If both parents carry a specific malfunctioning gene, they can get an albino-child. One out of fourthousand South Africans is albino. That number is five times higher then the number in, for example, Europe.
Bye mom!
Voice over:
The reason for this high number is that in South Africa certain ethnic groups often intermarry in their own family.If the malfunctioning albino-gene is in that family, the chance of getting a child with albinisme is much higher. But even though there are relatively many albinos in South Africa, society is not really accepting them.
(ntswaki gets into a minibus-taxi)
Some people feel ackward when I get into the taxi. They think that albinism is contagious. There are women who spit on their breasts when they see me. They think that will help them not getting it. Others just don't look at me. It is all rubbish, but what can I do?
I am going to visit Precious. She is black but her son, Manqobo, is white. He has albinisme. People with albinism always have a very sensitive skin. That is why we have to put on suncream every day. But it is expensive. Precious has to find the money on her own, because her boyfriend ran away. He did not want his albino-son. Just like my father. I feel sorry for her.
Voice over
Before having her son, Precious didnt know what albinism was. Ntswaki can explain her many things. But to prepare Precious for all the gossip to come, is very difficult.
Knock knock. How are you?
- I am fine? And you?
Fine
- Let's go and sit outside
OK
Voice over
Because for example how does one react to people who say: He, how is it possible that you have a white child. You must have slept with a white man!
Precious Philisewe, mother of Manqobo
Yeh, they say to me that I was sleeping with a white guy. But I say no, it is a black one. Yeh, I explained to them : it is a black guy.
(I do not care whether people say: "You have albinisme". Or you know if they do that (spitting) or if I come past them and they say : "Legoa Legoa!" (= White, white!)
-Yes I do not like that because if I go with my child. They call my child: "Legoa".)
(ntswaki walks past a group of guys)
I guess I am lucky because I do get boyfriends. But sometimes I am afraid that a boy only wants to try me out.
- Hi sweetie, how is it, sweetie, can I come with you sweetie, ok sweetie.
He only wants to sleep with me and dump me.
Ntswaki Mosohlo
I don't want a boyfriend who has got albinisme. I want a boyfriend who doesn't have the condition. Because it is like I would be scared of other people. It is like I'll be scared to face life.
(ntswaki meets albino-friends)
It is four o'clock. When I am together with my friends who also have albinisme, I forget about my colour. We just talk and laugh about all the stupid myths that exists.
All that about us curing aids. There was a case in Katlehong. This nyanga (=traditionele dokter) wanted blood from this lady with albinimse. She said she wanted to cure some disease.
Maybe she wanted to cure aids.
- They used to say if you sleep with a child you can be cured.
Now they are moving to us.
Voice over:
People with albinism are constantly subject to superstition. Some traditional doctors, also called nyangas or sangomas, are spreading rumours about being able to cure AIDS. It seems as if they think: the more superstition, the more clients we get. But sangoma Winnie gets angry when she hears the curing of AIDS-stories. She knows that men might misuse this kind of gossip to rape albino-girls.
Winnie Tshabalala, traditional healer
They do it just to abuse people. There is nothing like that. I am telling you. If you cut them there is coming red blood, not blue or yellow. So I do not think that by having sex with them you will be cured of aids.
(ntswaki watches tv and then goes to bed)
When I am at home. I like to watch TV. Especially movies where white and black are just living together as friends. It was not like that in South Africa, and I still find that difficult. I feel that I am somewhere on a strange place in between: not white enough, not black enough. Nowhere to fall.
It is late and I write down what I did todya. Now I just want go to sleep and dream about a good job. A husband and maybe one day four children.
Their colour ....... ?
To be honest....... I hope my guy and kids will all be black.
Light goes out.
End of report