The cuidArt room of the Dénia Hospital hosts the exhibition until July 15 'Albino'. A work by the photojournalist Ana Palacios, curated by the Director of the Marina Salud Art Project, Alicia Ventura, which reflects a double vision of albinos on the African continent.
Palacios records, on the one hand, the daily life of an albino community in Tanzania, while portraying the work of a group of Spanish doctors who periodically work in the area. Being albino in Africa is a stigma and, in addition to the medical complications associated with this genetic condition, are added the difficult economic circumstances of the context and the social discrimination suffered by those affected.
At the foot of Kilimanjaro stands the Kabanga, the largest albino community in Africa, supported by the Tanzanian government and international aid. The objective is to protect the albinos, since they are forced to flee their villages for fear of being dismembered by body traffickers. Behind the macabre stigma is the fascination of African sorcerers who make potions of the "luck" with their bodies.
In addition, being albino in Africa also implies serious dermatological problems, derived from excessive sun exposure without any type of protection. So skin cancer is another stigma against which albinos have to fight on the black continent.
Ana Palacios has developed this visual work in two moments: a first part made up of scenes of daily life in Kabanga and a second in which she reflects the work carried out by Spanish health workers, including Dr. Luis González, anesthetist at the Hospital de Dénia, through the NGO Africa Directo and in collaboration with the Moshi Hospital.
Ana Palacios
Ana Palacios is a documentary photographer who has focused her work on Africa. She collaborates with the NGOs Manos Unidas, Africa Directo and UNICEF. His work has been awarded, exhibited and published worldwide (Al Jazeera, Stern, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, New Internationalist, Daily Mail, Terra Mater, 6 Mois, Days Japan, XL Semanal, Paper, El País, Tiempo, etc).
