Mawerenga, Jones HamburuJones HamburuMawerenga2025-01-272025-01-272024978-3-98989-030-5https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106014This study discusses the phenomena of the intersectionality of African traditional religion (ATR) and albinism in Malawi. It is based on data that was collected through qualitative research methods: literature review and interviews. During the past two decades, People with Albinism (PWAs) in Malawi have been victimised through what is considered superstition-driven and witchcraft-related violence in the form of abductions, body mutilations, killings and grave vandalism to exhume their bones for ritual purposes. The study observes that ATR serves as a bedrock for some of the beliefs, which motivate some criminal gangs to commit horrendous violence against PWAs in Malawi. The following reasons are proffered: First, ATR highlights the explicit nexus between the spirit-beings and their confluence with the material world, which is very important in situating the albinism discourse in the Malawian context. Second, the belief in the invisible ‘spirit world’ and its interconnectedness to the material world has subsequently influenced the development of certain corresponding religious beliefs and practices of rituals. For instance, rituals involving the killing of PWAs are based on the belief that the PWAs are persons whose body parts carry a rare sacred quality that can be used to make charms for acquiring fortunes in the material world. The chapter argues that since the roots of violence against PWAs in Malawi are anchored in some aspects of ATR, such as superstitious and witchcraft beliefs and practices, the remedy must also be essentially religious to holistically resolve the problem. This can be done by employing life-enhancing aspects of ATR beliefs and practices such as the African ethics and spirituality of Ubuntu/Umunthu. The study’s main implication is that the current tide of violence against PWAs in Malawi is inconsistent with the African spirituality and ethics of Ubuntu/Umunthu. The life-flourishing qualities of Ubuntu uphold the sanctity of human life and complement human dignity, safety and security, and well-being.eng-200bookpart