Marvelous Tshuma, popularly known as Marve Tee is a force to be reckoned with. She is bold, resilient, a talented musician and an passionate advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and in particular people living with albinism. Since she graduated from the Lab’s Voice2Rep Campaign Marve has used her voice to call for greater inclusion and an end to the marginalization that the multiple communities she belongs to face.

Marve’s journey with Accountability Lab started in 2020 with the Voice2Rep campaign, where she and nine other artists were given a platform to make their voices heard, connect with socially conscious leaders in the music industry and offered music skills training that include writing, composing and presentation. This training not only gave her a deeper appreciation of how she can use her musical talent to represent persons with albinism, but also strengthened her skills as a social justice advocate.

“Although I used to write before the campaign, the training gave depth to my work,” said Marve.

After her training she returned to Bulawayo, where she used the skills gained from the training to start a music education class for young people with albinism under Albinism Konnect, an initiative of the Noble Hands Trust of which she is National Chairperson.

Young persons with albinism often face discrimination and difficulty in accessing healthcare products, such as sunscreen lotions to protect their skin from sunburn. By teaching young people with albinism how to monetize their music skills, Marve aims to empower and uplift them.

“I opened a class for young people with Albinism to teach what I learned under Voice2Rep training,” said Marve. “We have a band right now called the Albinism Konnect only for people with albinism. Here we empower and educate each other on how to monetize our music to raise money to buy our sunscreen lotions,” she added.

The band members empower and educate each other on how to monetize their music to raise funds to purchase sunscreen lotions and protective clothing for themselves and other underprivileged people with albinism.

According to a rapid Assessment conducted by UNESCO ROSA, persons with albinism face critical challenges which affect their dreams, aspirations, needs and concerns, and hope for social inclusion hence Marve’s class seeks to bridge this gap among young people.

Her class provides a platform for these young people to express themselves while also addressing the stigma associated with albinism. Moreover, it mobilizes funds to provide necessary healthcare products, such as sunscreen lotions, hats, and sunglasses, among other treatments, through the Albinism Konnect initiative.

In April 2023, the Albinism Konnect band, led by Marvellous, launched their first album entitled “We are one people” a musical advocacy project that seeks to raise awareness on the challenges affecting people with albinism and to promote inclusion and diversity. The launch also brought together policy makers, the Police Victim Friendly Unit and civil society organizations in solidarity with persons with albinism.

Marve’s initiative is a testament to the transformative power of education and empowerment. By providing a safe space for young people with albinism to learn and develop their talents, Marve is helping to build a brighter future for them.

“The idea is to continue enrolling and empower each other as people with albinism in Zimbabwe,” she affirmed the long-term vision of this initiative.

The responsibility to educate people about the medical and social aspects of albinism and to dispel myths and stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination lies with everyone. While Albinism Konnect has taken the initiative to raise awareness, they require support from other stakeholders. Broader society must promote policies and practices that support albinism inclusion.

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Bathabile Dlamini – Media and Communications Officer at Accountability Lab Zimbabwe