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Hundreds of people marched to raise awareness of attacks on albinos in Malawi. – AFP

Lilongwe — Musicians in Malawi held a solidarity march over the weekend to highlight the scourge of murders affecting people living with albinism in the country.

According to Malawi24, the Musicians Union of Malawi (MUM) said that musical artists could no longer remain silent on the issue.

“As musicians in the country, we’re bitter and we’re joining the bandwagon of people speaking against the killing and abduction of people with albinism.

“We’re happy to see people reacting positively, they’ve come to listen to the messages we’ve carried, to walk with us and fight together in making sure that Malawi should remain a peaceful country and that people should live freely including those with albinism,” MUM president Chimwemwe Mhango was quoted as saying.

Mhango said that music was one of the strongest tools that could be harnessed to deliver a message and fight against the victimisation of albino nationals in Malawi.

Grace Chiumia, Minister of Sports and Culture, also joined in support of the musicians where she commended them for their team spirit and assured citizens that government was doing all it could to curb the plague of attacks on albino people.

The march followed on from the sentencing of a 47-year-old man who was found in possession of  bones belonging to an albino citizen, according to Nyasa Times.

The suspect, Mussa Kachepa, was expected to spend the next 10 years in jail after a Malawi court found him guilty of attempting to sell the bones to a woman in the country’s southern district of Liwonde.

Despite pleading with the court for leniency, Kachepa was served with a stiff penalty in order to discourage other citizens who may be persuaded to commit a similar crime.  — AFP