UN announces International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) - June 13. The Ambassador for the Federal Republic of Somalia , Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari Bari (r) led the resolution to mark IAAe which was also supported by Italy (l) . At centre is Somalia's deputy permanent representative minister- counselor, Awale Ali Kullane
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Jamaican multi-media artist Yrneh Gabon sharing with a young person with albino at the United Nations special session following the adoption of a resolution announcing the International Albinism awareness Day for June 13.
UN ADOPTS
INTERNATIONAL ALBINISM AWARNESS DAY,
JUNE 13..… much education needed says Jamaican artist, Yrneh ‘Gabon’ Brown.
The United Nations General assembly on Tuesday (Nov 18)
adopted a Resolution titled “International Albinism Awareness
Day”, to be observed June 13 each year.
The Resolution expresses concern at the attacks against
persons with albinism, including women and children. It also calls for enhanced
protection and promotion of all human rights, including economic, social and
cultural rights, as a matter of priority of the international community.
Jamaica’s multi-media
artist, Yrneh Gabon, whose research and work on albinism is on display in a six month exhibition under the theme,
‘Visibly Invisible’ at the Californian
African-American Museum, in Los Angeles,
was invited to make a presentation at a special side sitting of the UN committee. The UN resolution was led by
the Federal Republic of Somalia Ambassador, Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari Bari.
In his presentation, Yrneh noted that although no
one in his family was an albino, he was exposed to the suffering of people with albinism in Jamaica
from he was a child, as they would call them names like ‘Dundus’ and
Vampires, not understanding the effects of the sun on their eyes and skin. He made reference to Jamaica’s most known
albino, entertainer King Yellowman, who is still scared from the abuse with which he was treated
because he looked different . He said this inspired him to do a research
on albinism which took him to Tanzania where albinos are being killed daily for
their body parts used in the practice of witchcraft in that east African state
.
Yrneh’s support for
research in the western world and in particular, the US, came from his
mentor, actress, and humanitarian – Dr
C.C. Pounder, who assisted him in
raising funds to do a two month ethnographic study in Tanzania.
In undertaking his research,
Yrneh visited Jamaica in 2013 to
gather support for sponsorship and took
his proposal to CHASE funds, an
organization set up to fund the arts, sports, health and education projects in
the island . He wanted to include a segment on
educating the Caribbean region on the need for change of attitude
towards albinos.
‘ We were actually chased out of the room after even being
told at first that only one of the two of us could be
accommodated in the meeting. When we
managed to impress upon them that we both needed to be in the meeting, we were
told to hasten the presentation as the head person there had other assignments.
This just confirmed to me that there is a serious need for education at all
levels’, he noted. ‘ Even though Yellowman has helped through music to change
the way people treat albinos, we still have a far way to go because even at
that high level, the CHASE CEO , did not see the importance of this research’.
Not deterred, Yrneh returned to the US with the
information he could gather with his
limited resources and through support from his mentor, was successful in
putting together a body of work that includes
paintings, sculptures and sound bites
for the exhibition that runs until March 2015. He plans to take it on
tour throughout the USA and Africa.
‘There is still a problem with how people with albinism are
seen so we need to re-educate. For me as an artist I have to use my work to
educate people. I am so thrilled that a day has been declared to include people with albinism
, to see them as our brother, our
sister, and not as
outsiders to be excluded but
treated with respect like any other human being’, Yrneh concluded.
See the UN site.
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