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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Miners' magic: artisanal mining, the albino fetish and murder in Tanzania
Authors:Bryceson, Deborah FahyISNI
Jønsson, Jesper BosseISNI
Sherrington, RichardISNI
Year:2010
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:48
Issue:3
Pages:353-382
Language:English
Geographic term:Tanzania
Subjects:albinism
homicide
ritual objects
mining
informal sector
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/40864761
Abstract:A series of murders of albinos in Tanzania's north-west mining frontier has been shrouded in a discourse of primitivism by the international and national press, sidestepping the significance of the contextual circumstances of an artisanal mining boom firmly embedded in a global commodity chain and local profit maximization. The murders are connected to gold and diamond miners' efforts to secure lucky charms for finding minerals and protection against danger while mining. Through the concept of fetish creation, this article interrogates the agency of those involved in the murders: the miners who purchase the albino charms, the Sukuma 'waganga' (healers) renowned for their healing, divination and sorcery skills who prescribe and sell the charms, and the albino murder victims. The agrarian background, miners' ambitions and a clash of values comprise the starting point for understanding the victimization of albinos. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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