With or without color

The people with Albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited altered genes that do not make the usual amounts of a pigment called melanin, which is responsible for the color. The principal gene which results in Albinism prevents the body from making the usual amounts of this pigment.

It is not a disease, infection and cannot be transmitted through contact, the thing is more complicated.

“The genes for Albinism are located on “autosomal” chromosomes. Autosomes are the chromosomes that contain genes for our general body characteristics, contrasted to the sex chromosomes. We normally have two copies of these chromosomes and the genes on them – one inherited from our father, the other inherited from our mother. Neither of these gene copies is functional in people with Albinism. However, Albinism is a “recessive trait”, so even if only one of the two copies of the Albinism gene is functional, a person can make pigment, but will carry the albinism trait. Both parents must carry a defective albinism gene to have a child with Albinism. When both parents carry the defective gene (and neither parent has albinism) there is a one in four chance at each pregnancy that the baby will be born with Albinism. This type of inheritance is called “autosomal recessive” inheritance.”

There are a lot of attitudes towards albino people in different cultures of the world. On Fiji Islands they are usually very respectful and high-ranking people, on the contrary in Africa their life is very complicated.
There is a belief in South Africa, that after death albinos are disappearing, like dissolving in the air.

All my life this phenomenon was associated with purity, transparency and tenderness. When I was a child I thought that these people were angels. Now, when I see their photos I think that maybe there is something there, and only the nature knows the answer.