Sabina of Tanzania Albinism Collective. Photo by Marilena Delli
Sabina of Tanzania Albinism Collective. Photo by Marilena Delli
Sabina of Tanzania Albinism Collective. Photo by Marilena Delli
Sabina of Tanzania Albinism Collective. Photo by Marilena Delli

Tanzania Albinism Collective‘s album White African Power: a rise from persecution to pride


  • English
  • Arabic

Music can be a powerful catalyst for bringing people together, even when the “instruments” involved do not seem particularly musical.

Ian Brennan, the founder of the Tanzania Albinism Collective, experienced such a improvisational, DIY approach during a session last year.

“They were using a sledgehammer,” he says. “Some were banging the tabletop, a bottle, a broken rain barrel. They got pretty tired but it was invigorating.”

The song created during that memorable session was White African Power, the title track from this remarkable collective's new album. It captures a moment when persecuted individuals suddenly became a louder and prouder community.

Brennan, from California, is a producer who searches for unheard voices. A previous project featured inmates at Malawi’s Zomba Prison, and this latest album brought together about 20 people ostracised due to an accident of birth.

Albinism is a condition that drastically reduces skin pigmentation and causes serious eye problems. In Tanzania, the afflicted are often viewed with suspicion, alienated and even subjected to violence.

A sizeable number have found refuge on a remote island, Ukerewe, which is only reachable by an uncomfortable four-hour ferry ride. Brennan made the journey and found people who were almost fearful of music.

“Many of them had been discouraged from singing or dancing,” he says. “It’s such a horrible thing to hear about, and was dismaying for the project. These are people told that they aren’t musical. We were starting on a negative with most of them.”

The participants had compelling stories, though, and were eventually persuaded to write, then sing, about them.

Perhaps the most telling song titles are by a forward-thinking farmer called Riziki Julius: the harrowing Never Forget the Killings and Tanzania Is Our Country, Too. They highlight the tragic history of people with albinism in Tanzania but suggest a better future.

The timing of these sessions was significant. The collective formed at a new centre, provided by support group Standing Voice, on the week of International Albinism Awareness Day last June.

This year, it fell on June 13, so the record’s release is timely, although its producer believes fans of traditional “world music” might not approve.

Tanzania is Our Country, Too is almost a rap track, for example, while Brennan describes the album as "experimental" and "punk rock".

It certainly possesses the punk spirit. These are short, sharp songs, played by novice musicians who have suddenly found an outlet for their anguish.

“The music project showed us we could do things that we never thought possible,” says Julius.

His life is relatively settled but not free from discrimination.

“When I proposed and married my wife, her family did not accept me,” he says.

“They said I could not be a husband to their daughter. I was so heart-broken. I was happy my wife decided to stick by me. She still gets criticised by relatives and friends for marrying a person with albinism.”

Numerous participants had experienced physical intimidation, often from people close to them. Brennan mentions one singer “whose uncle wanted to kill her”. Such fearful isolation caused many to become painfully reserved or withdrawn.

That was the case with Hamidu Didas, whose lyrics reveal a traumatic childhood: “My parents abandoned me, because I look the way I do,” he wrote.

According to Brennan, Didas had been “shy and withdrawn. The guy from Standing Voice knew him, and thought he’d be the last person to participate in the project. Actually, it turns out he has a classic, soulful voice”.

His compositions are varied, too. Didas wrote the protest track Stigma Everywhere and also a love song, You Are Mine.

Such genuine joy is, perhaps surprisingly, apparent throughout the album and particularly on the closing track, Happiness.

Written by Thereza Phinias, it imagines the group leaving that island behind.

“Here we are on the stage,” she sings, “Tanzania Albinism Collective members, far across the ocean.” That dream is about to be realised, a year later. Phinias, Julius and Didas are among the performers who will travel from Tanzania next month to perform at the United Kingdom’s Womad festival.

“This project,” says Phinias, “is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life”.

White African Power by Tanzania Albinism Collective is out now

artslife@thenational.ae

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Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

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Dust storm

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Venom

Director: Ruben Fleischer

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Rating: 1.5/5

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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6.20pm: West Acre
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8.50pm: Calandogan
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2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash

3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly

3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson

5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SCORES

Ireland 125 all out

(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)

UAE 125 for 5

(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)

UAE won by five wickets

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Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2

Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers

 

Opening fixtures

Thursday, December 5

6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles

7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers

7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles

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8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
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9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
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Following fashion

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Losing your balance

You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

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Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
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Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land  once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

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Results:

5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres

Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m

Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m

Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel

6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m

Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m

Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m

Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy

A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

Racecard:

6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres

7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m

7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m

8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m

8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.

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Results:

5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,200 metres

Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Younis Kalbani (trainer)

5.30pm: UAE Arabian Derby (PA) | Prestige | Dh150,000 | 2,200m

Winner: Octave, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m

Winner: Harrab, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Ali

6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m

Winner: BF Mughader, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani

7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m

Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan

7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) | Conditions | Dh70,000 | 1,600m

Winner: AF La’Asae, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports