Africa’s Witch Children - a Talk with Anja Ringgren Lovén
Date: Event postponed, please check back later
Time: Postponed
Venue: Online only - Postponed
About our event
Anja Ringgren Lovén will speak about her work in Nigeria supporting children accused of witchcraft and abandoned by their families. Drawing on her direct experience, she will discuss how these accusations arise, the social conditions that sustain them and what practical intervention looks like in practice.
In 2012, Anja founded Land of Hope, an aid and relief organisation, following her work as a relief worker in Malawi the previous year. That experience led her to focus her efforts on children made vulnerable by accusations of witchcraft.
Today, Anja works in Nigeria with children who have been excluded from their families and communities. Often called ‘witch children’, they lead a lonely life on the streets and many do not survive. Together with her Nigerian husband, Anja helps run a children’s home that provides protection, education and long-term support to children who would otherwise face homelessness and significant risk.
Accusations of witchcraft against children have been documented in parts of Nigeria and other countries, often emerging in contexts of illness, death, economic hardship or infertility. In some communities, misfortune may be attributed to supernatural causes, and children can easily become scapegoats.
This session offers a grounded account of how such accusations take root and what responsible intervention requires. It explores the ethical challenges of working across belief systems while prioritising child safety, highlighting the complexity of an often misunderstood issue and inviting thoughtful engagement with questions of responsibility, community and care.
