The Blankenberg article was a response to what was considered a mythic, rather than medical, issue afflicting a surprisingly large proportion of the African community. Albinism of black Africans is particularly damaging in South Africa, being that South Africa was arguably hardest hit by racism during the colonial era. Apartheid gave credence according to skin color, and in all cases, authority came in the color white. It follows then, that the purpose of the article is to reflect on the assimilation, or lack there of, for the black albino pre and post apartheid. Blankenberg attempts to demystify the life of an albino and expose what postulations a fair skinned black African may have to live with. In so doing, Blankenberg clearly aspires to resolve feelings of isolation suffered by most albinos. Although the author does not clearly state her intention in the essay, the position taken on the issue suggests her desire to nullify the existence of racial classification or at the very least expose its weakness. As Blankenberg writes, “whether for good or for bad, race, and racialism exist in discourse and exist in experience” (42). To clarify, she defines racialism as biological characteristics that are the structure of various social relations resulting in different social collectives and racism is the product of applying judgments to a collective group of people with similar physical characteristics (10). As the product of a union between an Albino colored man and a white woman, she knows first hand the hardships of those who suffer from the genetic disorder. The essay, as a result, sheds light on the emotional impact racism by both blacks and whites has on an albino, who consequently, feels rejected by both racialism and racism. Her concern is not only justified by how physically desolate a black albino must feel, but also by the fact that it is fairly common. Research has indicated that 1 in every 4000 Africans suffers from opculocutaneous albinism, characterized by a lack of pigment in the skin, eyes and hair (8-9). Blankenberg suggests that the query to be answered is in the behavior that normally pigmented people take towards non-pigmented people. The question is well rounded in the way that it is directly relevant to the purpose. That is to say, Blankenberg addresses the issue of multifaceted racism via the cause and the source.
The information used reaffirms the meticulous nature of the question and purpose of Blankenberg’s article. As an albino offspring from black African parents, Blankenberg’s father was considered a gift from God by his parents. Growing up during apartheid meant that her grandfather was allowed privileges customarily only whites enjoyed, at least until his genuine heredity was discovered. However, this came at the cost of jealousy from other siblings who, because they were the color of their heritage, enjoyed none of the benefits Blankenberg’s father did (7-8). At this moment her use of personal reflection helps the reader recognizes the fundamental issue of the article. A black albino fractures the concept of race and questions the contemporary African self. The fundamental concepts that are the source of the information for the article are the myths the albino must confront, the identity s/he creates as a product of that mysticism and finally the image of self as a result of a torn identity. The writer rationalizes and clarifies these topics by describing their causes and consequences. The parable of contemporary albinism is a product of legend. Although it is a medical condition, it is regularly considered a spiritual state of being (9). With the creation of racial classification, white and black emerged as opposing forces, with white being purity and goodness, while black meant savage and bad. But this modernist symbolic approach is not necessarily cohesive with African heritage, which, among color, use other characteristics like ethnicity, spirituality, ancestry and community to articulate what identity is (9-10). For instance, society and community do not share the same boundaries; the community is where one has family, history and shared identity, society, conversely, is the collection of many communities (10-11). Furthermore, African identity is learned from tradition and ancestry so it is considered ethnic rather than racial, and although faced with oppression, the aspects that normally fracture identity, such as racial minority and disconnection, are not necessarily felt by the homogenous community who share the minority status. It is because of this complicated relationship between myth and science that much of an albino child’s identity is shaped by spirit and folklore. It is the most common belief that albinos are born as a punishment for a family member offending the spirit world. The connection of the albino to the spirit world resulted in the strong belief that albinos do not die rather they disappear. Blankenberg also writes that this myth could be related to the significance of the color white in many local groups. Divine healers frequently wear white beads and sacrifice white goats in an attempt to connect with spirits. The connection of albinos to spirits translates into a presupposed lack of humanity (14-15). The community response to albinism often ranges from adoration and overprotection to fear. Blankenberg considers the overprotection to be more of a medical condition than social. The delicacy of the skin and eyes requires special treatment and care, consequently encouraging further resentment from siblings (16-18). Regardless of the physical and emotional stress involved in being different, albinos showed a greater sense of self. This sentiment was shown to be positive when albinism was associated with desirable qualities created by the apartheid system and the mythological quality of godliness created by tradition. However, it was also shown that family and community played a greater role in shaping self-identity, thus, negative attributions with albinism resulted in a similar self-ascription (18-19). The preceding arguments offered by Blankenberg all address the complicated social system that involves being albino. She clarifies her position by reinforcing anything that might be considered a presupposition with a personal recollection of a black albino. For instance, when addressing the topic of extra care to albino children Blankenberg interviewed Beatrice Landers who had an albino brother and a black brother. Ms. Landers, coinciding with the author’s position, reflected on the relationship between her brothers as competitive and jealous. Her black brother preserved most of his resentment toward the special care imposed on his albino sibling stretching from youth to adulthood. Concerning the issue of existing identity, Blankenberg writes, “albinos force us to look decisively at what we mean by race” (29). The foundation of race is meant to explain why people look differently, but what resulted was a racial hierarchy, created to legitimize the exploitation of one racial group by another for profit (32). Evolution of the concept means that skin color is an indicative of a badge of belonging. A nod of recognition among minorities is an acknowledgement of a shared trait and consequently a type of brotherhood. This type of recognition has overlooked the qualities of albinos who do not look as they are expected to, consequently excluding them from the connection among minorities. Blankenberg furthers her position when she claims, “a crucial element of identity is how you are perceived and accepted by others” (34). Considering reformation, the author supposes black consciousness has the responsibility of rescuing the image of black from the negative connotations attached to it in European discourse (35). Blankenberg believes this philosophy is a state of mind and only a state of physicality in the sense that white people have no need for it. This assumption, however, seems contradictory her goal of eradicating racism. It would seem that the greatest use of black consciousness would be to enlighten the white perspective. The elimination of a racist mentality cannot be complete unless the victims and the offenders of racism are educated in the needs, wants and sentiments of other ethnicities. In a final argument, Blankenberg recognizes the divide between albinos regarding whether or not they should be classified as their own race. While some albinos view themselves as their own race because of their shared physicality, others identify with their ancestry and still choose classification rather than questioning the fallacy of race (39-41). Blankenberg frequently considers both sides of the argument rather than choose a bias report. She identified the benefits and downfalls of albinism, the positive and negative reactions and responses to the condition and a number of modernist approaches aimed at unraveling the myth and unifying cognitive approaches to formulate a solution. The only assumption with possible faults I attempted to discredit above, however, it can be argued whether her position was an assumption or a statement of fact, considering Blankenberg was only mentioning one contemporary approach, among many, of amalgamating black cognation.
Concerning Blankenberg’s reasoning, it would be trying to suspect her method. She took a dichotic approach in presenting her theories. In actuality, her theories were not so much theoretical as they were observatory. Although observation tends to be tainted by the perception of the spectator, once again, addressing both sides of the argument and concluding on neither frees her from bias. It can be stipulated that the reader is steered towards a certain conclusion, that being the negative impact of racial classification, but the reader is only so aimed because the evidence against it is compelling. The fact that the author suggests cultural grouping is in its own right negative, not just its consequences, is perhaps an indication of a tainted point of view. Is it not conceivable that racialism has its benefits? Blankenberg writes adoringly of black consciousness, but without racial classification black consciousness would not exist, or if it did it would be sympathetic to all races. A consciousness symbolic of all races, and thusly of all members of an entire humanity, could also be called universal consciousness. And universal consciousness could be the synchronization that is required to end all racism. This idea, nonetheless, is philosophical not sociological and consequently it cannot be physically proved nor rationalized the way particulars in Blankenberg’s article can, accordingly it is quite possible that she chose to avoid inductive logic in favor of promoting lucid solutions to perceptible issues. For the reason that her delivery is so precise, Blankenberg responds to potential objections while presenting hers. Her sensitivity to the issue at hand is obvious by the way she acknowledges the possible implications and consequences of the position she is taking. For instance, in recognizing that albinos are divided in how to respond to the concern of fitting in, she writes, “racial identity is neither reasonable, uncontested nor rooted in a singular experience. Rather it is based on emotion, on complexity and on an instinct or desire for belonging”(41). Instead of informing albinos on how they ought to respond, she informs the reader of the complexity of the issue and, naturally, the complexity of a response. In this way, Blankenberg does not align with any individual strategy.
Blankenberg is convincing the degree that when the article has been read the reader has appreciation for the hard fought identity of albinos. However, by not offering a solution she may inadvertently suggest that this dilemma is impenetrable, trivial or tolerable. It is probable that the author sees no end to the push and pull that demands albinos stand on one side of the line or the other, which we may also conclude is not entirely negative. Hinting at the benefit albinism may have of the future, she writes, “albino identity defies the easiness of the old apartheid labels, and the relative fixity of an old African cosmology…albino identity in many ways forces the ‘unnatural’ fixity of these identities and these identifications to melt a little…to move with the times” (43). Subsequently, the article addresses the concerns and hurt felt by black albinos in post apartheid Africa, in addition to accepting the benefits that may result from these indecencies.
