In the Shadow of the Sun (TV documentary)

worldchannel.org ^

[UnwashedPeasant]

In the heart of Lake Victoria, three hours from mainland Tanzania, sits Ukerewe Island; home to a large community of people who live with albinism — a congenital absence of pigmentation in the skin, eyes and hair. While many albinos are killed at birth or rejected by their families, those who survive risk being murdered for their body parts because of a superstitious belief that they possess medicinal properties. The island's 62-strong albino community has formed a society to share their experiences and to support each other.

Told over the course of four years, before, during and after an outbreak of brutal ritual killings that sweep across the country, In The Shadow Of The Sun tells the intimate and compelling story of two very different members of the albino community. We follow Vedastus, a warm-hearted teenage boy, who cares for his terminally ill mother while struggling to find his own place in the world, and Josephat, a strong-willed advocate for people with albinism, who fights to unite his country and dreams of scaling the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro. As the killings escalate Vedastus flees the island in search of safety whilst Josephat stands and faces the killings head on.

[UnwashedPeasant]

This is a fascinating documentary on TV a few times this week on PBS and World Channel. It is an episode of "Global Voices," which is a TV series that presents unrelated documentaries. Most interesting are the Ukerewe Island refuge, the Christian orphanages that take in these children, and how the story is told through two particular people over the course of 4 years. Albinism is exceptionally common in Tanzania and probably drives many people to Christianity.

World Channel
Aug. 7, Sunday, 10:00pm Eastern
Aug. 8, Monday, 2:00am Eastern
Aug. 8, Monday, 10:00am Eastern
Aug. 9, Tuesday, 6:30pm Eastern

In your area, this channel could be a PBS channel. For example, in Boston it is known as "WGBH World," where WGBH is a local PBS channel. This channel may be available by antenna.

Here is a clip on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWQiQst1sd8

[cloudmountain]

I had never heard of this small albino community.
I learned something new today about Tanzania.

[cloudmountain]

Tanganyika + Zanzibar = Tanzania