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John Chiti: 'It was a shock - they'd never seen a person with albinism in the limelight'

Zambian singer John Chiti grew up stigmatised because of his condition. Now he's changing perspectives

Growing up with albinism, Zambian singer John Chiti faced a lot of stigma. As a boy, he was bullied, and as an adult he faced barriers to his music career. Eventually, he released his music for radio only, hiding his face. Once his music was a hit, and nobody could deny his talent, he went on television to reveal his identity.

Emmanuel 'Jagari' Chanda rose to fame in Zambia in the 1970s as the lead singer of the psychedelic rock band Witch. He toured much of Southern Africa, and his onstage antics made him one of the biggest figures of the Zamrock scene. Regional conflict and the AIDs pandemic put an end to the Zamrock scene and Jagari spent many years in the wilderness, but now he's back on stage once again. He spoke to Outlook's Matthew Bannister in 2017.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producers: Eric Mugaju and Harry Graham

(Photo: John Chiti with guitar: Credit: John Chiti)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Wed 28 Aug 2024 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 27 Aug 2024 11:06GMT
  • Tue 27 Aug 2024 17:06GMT
  • Tue 27 Aug 2024 21:06GMT
  • Wed 28 Aug 2024 02:06GMT

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