u/SageRipplex

In August 2015, 20-year-old Thandazile Mpunzi went missing in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A few days later, police uncovered a heartbreaking reality: she had been lured, strangled, and buried in a shallow grave. The motive makes it even harder to process. Thandazile was born with albinism. Her own boyfriend, along with two other young men, were manipulated by a local cleric into believing that harvesting body parts from a person with albinism would make them rich through traditional medicine (muthi).

The cleric gave them a small amount of money for alcohol afterward so they could "sleep without thinking about what they had done". Fortunately, justice was relatively swift. The perpetrators confessed and led police to her remains. The mastermind received a life sentence, while the others received up to 20 years in prison. Cases like Thandazile's highlight a terrifying, under-reported area of true crime: the targetings and ritual murders of people living with albinism driven by superstition and greed.

Has anyone come across documentaries covering muthi killings or crimes targeting people with albinism in Southern Africa?

just needed to vent and maybe get a little advice on how to handle this.

My cousin is constantly complaining about her husband being super irresponsible and unreliable. Literally every time we talk, it turns into a huge rant about something new he did or didn't do. The frustrating part is that whenever I or anyone else in the family try to give her advice, offer actual solutions, or gently tell her she deserves better, she instantly shuts it down and makes excuses for him. Then, like clockwork, a few days later she’s back to complaining about the exact same issue.

It’s reaching a point where it feels like she just uses us as an emotional dumping ground, but has zero intention of changing her situation. It’s super draining to care about someone who refuses to help themselves.

TW: Family drama / manipulation

Just need to get this off my chest and see if anyone else goes through the same thing. How do you handle relatives who constantly try to drag you into their personal wars and force you to take a side? It feels like every time two people in my family have an argument, they immediately start trying to recruit everyone else like they're building an army.

If you try to stay neutral or say "I don't want to get involved" suddenly you’re the bad guy to both of them. It is so incredibly exhausting being caught in the crossfire of drama that has absolutely nothing to do with me. I just want to exist without having to sign a loyalty contract every time I visit.

I’m just so hurt and confused. My close friend recently started hanging out with a new crowd, and ever since then, everything changed between us.

She used to never care about my albinism, but now when her new friends are around, she completely ignores me or acts like she barely knows me. She even outright asked me not to sit with them because people were staring.

It feels like our entire history meant nothing the second she found people she wanted to impress. It hurts so bad to realize she is suddenly ashamed of how I look. How do you deal with being dropped by a friend just for being born different?

I woke up from a really unsettling dream last night and can't shake the feeling. In the dream, I was just standing somewhere normal, but there was a huge bunch of flies flying all around me. They weren't biting or attacking me, but they were buzzing loud and circling so close that I could barely see or move without hitting them. It felt incredibly overwhelming and suffocating, and I woke up feeling super anxious. Does anyone know what flies usually symbolize in dreams? I’d love to hear some interpretations if anyone has insight!

Hi guys! I have naturally platinum hair, but lately it’s been looking a bit dull and dry. Since it's so light, it seems to pick up everything (especially from hard water). I really want to add some shine and moisture back into it, but without using super heavy products that weigh it down. Does anyone have routine tips, lightweight product recommendations, or DIY tricks for keeping very light hair bright and healthy? Thanks! ✨

I’m literally albino, please stop trying to debate my genetics lol.

Hi everyone, my sister and I both have albinism. Neither of us are scientists or medical experts by any means, but we've always been fascinated by the purely genetic side of our family tree.

As far as we know, neither of our parents show any signs of it, and looking back at our extended family, we don't know of anyone else who has it either. From what little reading we've done, we know it's recessive, meaning both of our parents must be carriers.

We were curious about a couple of things from a genetic standpoint:

Statistically, if two carriers have children, what are the actual odds of multiple siblings inheriting the trait? Did we just hit a weird genetic lottery, or is it more common than it seems?

Because it seems so non-existent in our extended family, is it possible this was a newer mutation, or could a recessive gene like this just quietly pass down through generations without anyone ever noticing?

We'd love to hear some insight from the genomics perspective. (And just to be clear we aren't looking for any medical or health advice at all, just purely curious about the inheritance mechanics and the statistics behind it!)

Hi all, my sister and I both have albinism and low vision, and we're currently trying to optimize our tech setups to stop getting massive headaches from eye strain. Dark mode only does so much. What magnification tools or screen settings are saving your eyes lately?

Trigger Warning: Mentions of family bullying and emotional insensitivity.

Hello everyone, I really need to vent about my aunt. My sister and I both have albinism. Instead of being a supportive adult, our aunt constantly uses our condition as a punchline to make other people laugh. At almost every family gathering, she’ll make insensitive "jokes" or comments about how we look just to get a reaction from the room. It’s incredibly humiliating for both of us. If either of us shows that we're upset, she immediately turns it around on us, saying we're too sensitive or that she’s just teasing. It’s exhausting enough dealing with this kind of behavior from the world, but having it come from family and seeing her target my sister too just hurts so much. We are so tired of being used as props for her entertainment.

Has anyone else dealt with a relative who targets siblings like this? How do you and your sibling handle it together? Thanks for listening.

My absolute pet peeve is when people completely forget how to act normal the second they see an albino person in public. I’m just trying to go shopping or grab a coffee, but people will literally nudge their friends, point, stare with their jaws open, or try to take sneaky photos like I'm a rare cryptid or a celebrity walking the red carpet. Like... I promise you I am just a regular human being out in public, not a tourist attraction. I'm just living my life, please stop making it weird!