How do you navigate a world where the partial or complete absence of pigment in your skin and eyes marks you as a lucky charm or a vital ingredient in cooking up a supernatural concoction? That’s what
Written by Austine Osas,

The comic will give readers a backseat into two kids’ lives as they endure the pressure of a society that wrongfully believes them to be gifted with “luck” in a time of war, as they lose their homes, families and friends.
According to the creator and writer, Austine Osas, Under The Sun is “our way of drawing attention to the pain and injustice meted out to persons with albinism based solely on the colour of their skin”. He echoes the universal fact
In December 2011, investigative journalists, Anas Amereyaw Anas (Ghana) and Richard Mgamba (Tanzania) together with Isaack Timothy and Al-Jazeera News released a harrowing documentary investigating the sinister trade in the body parts of albinos murdered in Tanzania.
According to the report accompanying the documentary, “albinos have traditionally faced discrimination and prejudice – innocent victims of a still widespread belief that the condition is in some way associated with the supernatural.
To some, a white-skinned African person is seen as a kind of phantom or ghost, who rather than die will dissolve or disappear with the wind and rain. As a result, in some communities, albinos have been feared, shunned and socially marginalised”.

Austine was inspired to write Under the Sun by the killings of persons with albinism in countries like Tanzania, Malawi and just recently South Africa. The comic was written with background info from the Albino Foundation (Nigeria) and Under The Same Sun Foundation, an international NGO that promotes the well-being of persons with albinism using advocacy and education.
Nobody deserves to be derided, viewed as an abnormality or killed because of the lack of pigment in their skin, hair and eyes.”
Austine Osas
Speaking further about the project he reiterated that the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says that the body parts are traded in a lucrative market for use in witchcraft. Reported prices range from $2,000 for a limb to $75,000 for a corpse.
Under the Sun, a poetic title that embodies humanity follows in the footsteps of Dunamis (which tackles a similar theme), Lake of Tears and Karmzah which use the fluid comic book medium to tell critical stories and bringer them closer to home.
Under the Sun employs the talents of Austine Osas (writer & creator), Abiodun Awodele (writer), Yusuf Temitope (art),
Under The Sun is available to read on pedacomics.com and other platforms (print and digital format).
Squid Mag
Related posts
Stay connected
Mighty Joo #2 to Premiere at Time With Ananse
Parables Animation, the powerhouse behind the popular and critically acclaimed Ananse animated series has launched its new project, Mighty Joo: The Environmental Crusader, starring famed actor, Adjetey Anang. The project is part of its environmental crusader campaign and aims at…
Playtopia MGA: Indie Games & Immersive Arts Festival
Taking cues from international alternative games festivals, Playtopia MGA marks South Africa’s debut homegrown celebration of games and interactive art. Producing a series of surprise global hits, South Africa’s game makers (and their unique creations) have landed up on the…
Avandu Vosi Set to Release Awesome Comics at #MJX2019
Avandu Vosi is an African art collective which loves telling African stories through comics and is launching 5 new stories at Movie Jabber Expo 2019! We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the…
You’re Invited to Watch Tutu: An Untold Story of a Kingdom!
You’re invited to the pilot screening of Tutu – An Untold Story of a Kingdom, a new animated project by AnimaxFYB Studios. Have you seen any retelling of Ghanaian history that is not a documentary but a creative experience offering…
AnimateGH Animation Festival 2019 Celebrates International Animation Day
Monday, October 28 is International Animation Day and to celebrate, the Animators Association of Ghana and Animation Africa in partnership with the Goethe-Institut will present the 2019 edition of the AnimateGh Animation Film Festival. The event will open on Monday,…