Equal Under the Sun: The Stories Behind Our Most Special Exhibition
At Beyond Suncare, we have always believed that change begins by looking straight ahead. That is why we decided to create “Equal Under the Sun” a photographic exhibition that gives voice and visibility to people with albinism in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not just an exhibition: it is an invitation to discover their stories, feel their strength, and understand why our work on the ground is urgent.
From May 28 to June 3, we inaugurated the exhibition at the Can Balaguer Cultural Centre in Palma de Mallorca. It was moving to share these often invisible realities for the first time in Spain, through images and stories that touch the heart. And this is only the beginning: “Equal Under the Sun” is a traveling exhibition that will visit other cultural spaces across the Balearic Islands before arriving on the mainland in the autumn.
A look beyond the skin
“Equal Under the Sun” offers a carefully curated selection of portraits and personal stories that reflect the impact albinism has on thousands of people across the African continent (Ultima Hora).
Through each image, we invite viewers to look beyond the skin: behind every photograph there are stigmas, barriers, abandonment… but also resilience, community organization, and change.
“With this exhibition, we shed light on their struggles, their stories of discrimination, but also of empowerment and resilience, and we highlight the impact of Beyond Suncare”
—explains Mafalda Soto, pharmacist specialized in international health and co-founder of the NGO (El Periódico).
More than an exhibition: our shared mission
At Beyond Suncare, we have spent years working on the ground with a comprehensive approach that spans from health to social inclusion. This exhibition is born from that journey—from our direct commitment to communities with albinism in Africa.
In the words of Mafalda Soto: “Our goal is to help them identify and meet their needs, empower them and build their capacities, so that we can eventually step back” (Faro de Vigo).
Our work has already reached more than 10,000 people with albinism, especially in countries like Malawi, where the project that inspired this exhibition is focused. With “Equal Under the Sun,” we humanize those numbers and give them faces and voices.
Changing perceptions to transform reality
With this exhibition, we also aim to shift the visitor’s perspective, to awaken empathy and commitment. Because ignorance and myths surrounding albinism do not only generate discrimination—they also put lives at risk.
In Africa, nine out of ten people with albinism die before the age of 30 from skin cancer, a reality Mafalda Soto has witnessed firsthand: “I saw it firsthand with baby Jeremiah […] he arrived with second-degree burns” (Faro de Vigo).
“We must not forget that we are all equal under the same sun, and that our individual actions have an impact on others,”
– Soto reminds us, in a call to action that transcends borders (El Periódico).
Thank you and next steps
“Equal Under the Sun” has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of many individuals and organizations that believe, as we do, in a fairer world. We are especially grateful to the Humanitarian Foundation of Spanish Rotarians, the Balearic Government, and all those who made this first stop of the exhibition in Palma possible.
The exhibition will continue its journey through other cultural spaces across the Balearic Islands before reaching the mainland in the autumn. A unique opportunity to get closer to a distant reality that nevertheless speaks to us directly.
