Justice, they say, is the first condition of humanity. That means justice is imperative for human existence and coexistence. Justice is necessary for any society to grow, develop and flourish. Any movement that gives primary consideration to the human being must take the quest for justice- the enthronement of a just society- seriously. Millions of people around the world are living, languishing, suffering and dying under unjust conditions imposed on them by fellow human beings. And this is particularly the case in Africa.

The humanist outlook cannot thrive in a situation of so much injustice and deprivation. Humanism cannot take a firm hold on a society where unjust institutions abound and oppression prevails.
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I bring you all greetings and salutations from humanist friends in Nigeria, from other parts of Africa and from the rest of the world

I want to assure you all that your humanist and freethought colleagues around the globe wish you well. They wish the humanist movement in South Africa a success and that it grows from strength to strength. They wish that the South African humanist movement would take its rightful place and plays its rightful role in the growth and development of humanism in the region.

So I want to welcome you all to this important program. I want to thank you for creating time to be here and for agreeing to take part in this historic meeting.

For me this conference is a clear mark of change - of change that is coming to the humanist movement in South Africa and the change that humanists are set to bring to this country. So permit me to thank especially our humanist friend and colleague, Jacques Rousseau and other friends at the Free Society Institute of South Africa for agreeing to host us here in Cape Town. Free Society is necessary for humanists and human beings generally to thrive and flourish. And I can’t see any goal better or higher than working and campaigning to create a society where all human beings are free.
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I am really delighted to be in Malawi for this year's humanist conference.

This humanist gathering is yet another clear testimony of the great work Paul, George, Ollen and the rest of you at the Association of Secular Humanists of Malawi are doing.

Please keep it up. Last year we held a small but significant conference here in Malawi. And like I said at that meeting and later in my report, that convention did not reflect the humanist potentials of this country. It did not. And as you can see from the turn out to this year's meeting and other developments since last year, the great days of humanism in Malawi still lie ahead.

But I want you to know that these days will not come if we do not exercise diligence and make the necessary sacrifice. Yes here in Malawi we have some hard and tough choices to make in order put organized humanism in this country on a firm footing.
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I only noticed this through an indirect route. His name came up in a discussion on Kiva I came across for other reasons. But it seems on July 30th, Leo Igwe, who sometimes writes articles for Culture Kitchen, was attacked by a mob in Nigeria. This is from a letter written by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (which Leo works for) the Nigerian High Commission in the UK:

According to an eye-witness account, about two hundred members of Liberty Gospel Church stormed the venue of the symposium on Thursday, 30 July. They attacked Mr Igwe, took his bag, his camera and his mobile phone as well as destroying his spectacles. Liberty Gospel Church, led by Helen Akpabio, has been alleged to have held ‘trials’ of children suspected of being witches and many of these children have been killed after having been found guilty by such ‘trials’.

And from an article on AllAfrica.com:

In another development, Stepping Stones, a UK-based NGO has alleged that Helen Ukpabio's campaign of terror against children and those committed to fighting for their rights took a new turn last week when a large group of her supporters raided a child rights conference in Calabar and attacked a number of the delegates. The conference, which was on the theme of "Child Rights and Witchcraft", had been organised by the Nigerian Humanist Movement and the UK charity Stepping Stones Nigeria in response to the widespread abandonment, torture and killing of children in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States due to the

belief in child 'witches'. As the day began, at around 10.30 am, a group of religious extremists dressed in orange raided the venue and began protesting loudly.

The extremists, who are believed to be members of Helen Ukpabio's Church, Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, were carrying a number of banners with slogans such as, "We give freedom to the witches" and "Stepping Stone is not a registered organisation". Eventually, after an hour and a half, the police turned up and dispersed the mob. One person was arrested.

The conference co-ordinator Leo Igwe, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, was viciously beaten during the attack and had his phone and camera stolen by the angry mob. Speaking after the event Leo said: "The conference was a peaceful meeting for people to openly debate what could be done to prevent the abuse of child rights linked to the belief in witchcraft. This attack by Helen Ukpabio's supporters once again highlights the depravity of this so-called "woman of God". Such false prophets should be immediately arrested and prosecuted under the child rights Act".

Leo's most recent posts on Culture Kitchen dealt with this topic. You can read about it in the following articles:

Campaign of Terror unleashed on Nigeria’s ‘Witch Children’

BRINGING EVANGELIST HELEN UKPABIO TO JUSTICE/CAMPAIGN UPDATE

And you can contact the Nigerian embassy on this subject here:

http://www.nigeriaembassyusa.org/contact.shtml

[Edited for formating and promoted by mole333]

Skepticism in Africa

Leo Igwe

The word skepticism comes from the Greek word ‘skepticos’ which means inquiry. Skeptics are inquirers. And the skeptical outlook is governed by reason, science, curiosity and critical thinking. It is opposed to dogmatism, irrationalism, blind faith, gullibility and superstition. The skeptical temper has inspired distinct trends in human thought, history and philosophy- the renaissance, reformation and Enlightenment.

In countries across the world, the state of skepticism is not the same. Some countries are more skeptical than others.

Last year, I visited three West African countries - Senegal, the Gambia and Sierra Leone to meet with scientists and skeptics and to ascertain the state of skepticism.

In Senegal, the traditional life is still mired in myths, superstition and taboos.

In some communities, people do not go to market on Wednesdays or cut their hairs on Saturdays. They believe that such actions would lead to death and misfortune- these beliefs have gone unchallenged for centuries.

In the Gambia I met with teachers and leaders of the science club at the University of the Gambia. We discussed the prevalence of superstition in the country and how we can tackle it. The students told me how seers and marabus exploit poor ignorant folks by manipulating commonsensical knowledge and data. One of the most common superstitious beliefs in the Gambia is witchcraft. That is the belief that people can harm others through spiritual, occultic and supernatural means. Witches are said to cause diseases, accidents and death. The students said they were brought up to fear owls.
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