Albino United

Albino United

Directed and written by: Barney Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin and Juan Reina
Certificate: ---
Duration: 90 min’s
My rating: ***

This documentary is a through provoking tail of people standing up for rights which they shouldn’t have to struggle for. Unaware of albino killings in Africa, as I’m sure many other people are, the documentary showed young albino African children trying to send a hopeful message out to others through football.
It opened with an image of an African woman breast feeding her albino child a image which questions circumstances as she says , “a child is a child”. It gives the lasting impression of the suppression felt by these people even sometimes by their own family. It captured a fisherman talking about how albino bones are used by witchdoctors to create potions thought to help many things, including catching fish. It has a constant surreal feel, even when interviewing a witch doctor who said he hides the bones and hair of albinos so the government cannot confiscate them, like a child using a mobile phone in an exam, “albinos cannot hide” spoke one man who followed with, “if you kill an albino you are a rich man”.
We just don’t realise how much albinos stand out in a country full of traditional values.
It is questionable marketing to get into football, using Barak Obama’s slogan ‘yes you can’, sporting I love Obama hats.
It shows how trivial and fickle many can be, as the albino united team climb through the divisions, more supporters gather, a turn from the earlier mocking they faced from many.
They are not inconspicuous but the abuse they faced throughout was threatening.
Labelled the ‘Human ghosts’, this documentary has shown a social changed reached through kicking a ball around. It was a fascinating depiction from a culture I personally did not know existed, now brought to attention a real factor the documentary focuses on the successes with humour, violence, sympathy and anger has done its duty.