''Saving Africa's Witch Children'' is a documentary directed by Mags Gavan and Joost van der Valk. It features Gary Foxcroft and his organisation

Stepping Stones Nigeria Stepping may refer to: * Walking, one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals Computing * Stepping level, an aspect of microprocessor version designation * Stepping (debugging), a method of debugging Dance * Chicago stepping, ...

who campaign against the branding of children as witches in Nigeria, primarily by the evangelical "Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries", headed by

Helen Ukpabio Helen Ukpabio is the founder and head of African Evangelical franchise Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries based in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. She is widely accused of causing large-scale harassment and violence against children ac ...

. In some of the poorest parts of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Pentecostal evangel ''Pentecostal Evangel'' was the official weekly magazine of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America, with an average weekly circulation of approximately 200,000 worldwide. The weekly published inspirational feat ...

ical religious fervour is combined with the old but persistent African belief in

sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...

and

black magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...

. Thousands of children are victimised, abused, abandoned or even killed as they are blamed for having brought about disease, misfortune, death and famine by their alleged witchcraft. The film was part of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's '' Dispatches'' Series and won numerous awards, including a BAFTA and an

International Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

for Best Current Affairs.

References

External links

* African witchcraft Channel 4 documentaries Childhood in Nigeria Christianity in Nigeria Dispatches (TV programme) Documentary films about child abuse Documentary films about Nigeria Human rights in Nigeria Infanticide Modern witch hunts Works about religion and children {{reli-documentary-film-stub

See also

References

External links