This series is made up of portraits of four Tanzanian child survivors of violent superstition-driven attacks and in their own words their testimonials. The children are among the nearly 7,000 Tanzanians with albinism, a hereditary condition that results in a lack of pigmentation in skin, hair, and eyes. In Tanzania, witchdoctors promote a belief in the potential magic and superstitious properties of albino body parts, and children with albinism are murdered so their skin, hair, and appendages can be used to make charms and potions believed to bring wealth, power, and good luck.
Matilde Simas is a photographer based in Boston. Matilde’ work as a photographer, guided by her primary role of humanitarian, has taken her around the globe. Her work’s primary focus is human rights, with the goal being to leverage storytelling to inform, provoke discussion, and ultimately inspire action. She achieves this through public speaking and exhibiting her work in galleries and public spaces. Her photography has been showcased internationally and widely exhibited by various UN agencies.
