Leo Igwe
Leo Igwe | |
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Born | |
Known for | Human rights advocacy skepticism |
Website | ieet |
Leo Igwe (born 26 July 1970) is a Nigerian human rights advocate and
Igwe was appointed as a research fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation, where he continues working toward the goal of responding to what he sees as the deleterious effects of superstition, advancing skepticism throughout Africa and around the world. In 2014, Igwe was chosen as a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism and in 2017 received the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
Igwe's human rights fieldwork has led to his arrest on several occasions in Nigeria. He has held leadership roles in the Nigerian Humanist Movement,
Early life
Igwe was raised in southeastern Nigeria, and describes his household as being strictly Catholic in the midst of a "highly superstitious community," according to an interview in the
Human rights activism
Igwe was influenced to become a humanist activist through the writings of Paul Kurtz, which he read in magazines published by the Center for Inquiry.[3]
Igwe is listed as a Junior Fellow for the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, where his project is a case study of witchcraft accusation in northern Ghana.[4]
In a fall 2000 article in the quarterly journal Free Inquiry, Igwe enumerated different ways in which religious extremists in Nigeria have co-opted the local government and used it to enforce religious codes of law, hindering the upholding of human rights in those areas.[5]
Igwe wrote in 2004 that in his own country of Nigeria, contemporary belief in witchcraft leads to ritual killing and human sacrifice, noting that women and children are more likely to be said to possess or practice "negative" witchcraft abilities, while men are more often depicted as possessing benign witchcraft abilities.[6]
In 2008, a BBC documentary, Saving Africa's Witch Children,[7][8] featured an appearance by Igwe, as one of the primary subjects was "witch hunter Helen Ukpabio."[9] The documentary detailed reported "terrible crimes committed against children accused of witchcraft,"[9] and premiered as an HBO feature in 2010.[9][10] The film also follows the efforts of Sam Itauma, a human rights activist and founder of the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN), who offers shelter and protection to children who have been abused or abandoned, and Gary Foxcroft, who founded Stepping Stones Nigeria, a UK-registered charity.[10]
In 2009, Igwe represented the
In 2010, according to a release by the European Humanist Federation (EHF), Igwe's home was invaded by soldiers and police officers "following a fictitious murder charge," which was allegedly brought on by a man that Igwe had attempted to have prosecuted for allegedly committing sexual crimes against a 10-year-old girl in 2006.[12] According to the report, Igwe had been arrested three times since beginning work on the rape case, as a result of allegedly malicious petitions,[12] prompting David Pollock of the EHF to write to then vice-president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, on Igwe's behalf.[13]
According to the EHF, later in August 2010, Igwe's home and family were attacked when two unidentified men assaulted and blindfolded Igwe's father, causing "extensive injuries to his face and head", and resulting in the elder Igwe having to have his eye surgically removed.[12] The case has been taken up by Amnesty International after police reportedly refused to open an investigation.[12]
On 11 January 2011, while attempting to rescue two children who were victims of witchcraft accusation in Uyo Akwa State in southern Nigeria, Igwe was "imprisoned and beaten by police,"[14] in an effort, according to Sahara Reporters, by the state governor Godswill Akpabio, to begin "clamping down on activists involved in the rescue of children accused of witchcraft."[15] Igwe was later released without charge,[16] according to Gary Foxcroft of Stepping Stones Nigeria, and "in good spirits". [17]
On 11 February 2014, Igwe was chosen as a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. [18] In 2017, he was given the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union General Assembly. Upon receiving the award, Igwe dedicated it "to all humanists at risk around the globe".[19]
Igwe is an outspoken supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations. When discussing the matter, Igwe has argued that "the United Nations needs to be handed back to those to whom it actually belongs - the people of the world."[20]
Igwe continues to speak out against attacks on alleged witches in Malawi. According to him, recent cases of such attacks in December 2019 and January 2020 "...contained seeds of an effective advocacy against witch persecution in Malawi. First of all there is an urgent need for advocates for alleged witches throughout the country to become more visible and proactive." He proposes that, in addition to widespread education about the real causes of misfortune, "There should be heavy penalties including suspension and summary dismissal for the head of any village, or district where an alleged witch is attacked or killed."[21]
Liberty Gospel Church
Igwe's activism against witchcraft accusations has included lobbying for the enforcement of a law in Nigeria that prohibits accusing children of witchcraft,
On 29 July 2009, Igwe was scheduled to speak at a meeting in Calabar, Nigeria, "condemning the abandonment, torture and killing of children alleged to be witches."[24] As he was about to deliver his talk, members of the Liberty Gospel Church, more than 150 people, invaded the meeting and attacked Igwe, who was "beaten and robbed, relieved of his camera, money and mobile phone before managing to escape to a nearby police station to seek help."[23][24] Portions of the altercation were captured on film.[25]
After the attack, the leader of Liberty Gospel Church, pastor Helen Ukpabio, sued the state government, as well as several critics, including Igwe, seeking 2 billion
Responding to criticism by Igwe and other activists, Ukpabio told The New York Times reporter Mark Oppenheimer that "her filmic depictions of possessed children, gathering by moonlight to devour human flesh" (as seen in her film End of the Wicked) were not meant to be taken literally, and stated, according to Oppenheimer, that the BBC documentary Saving Africa's Children "exaggerates or invents the problem of child abandonment."[22] According to Oppenheimer, "Asked how she could be so sure, she said, 'because I am an African!' In Africa, she said, 'family ties are too strong to have a child on the street.'"[22]
Skepticism
Igwe's role as coordinator of the Nigerian Humanist Movement has led to his being awarded the Freidenker's Award for an outstanding contribution to world atheism during the 2005 Stars of Freethought Convention, hosted by Atheist Alliance International and Atheists United.[26] In addition to founding the Nigerian Humanist Movement, Igwe was also a main organizer and presenter in 2007 at the first international humanist conference in Sub-Saharan Africa.[27]
Igwe has also served on the board of directors of Atheist Alliance International, where he facilitated collaboration between AAI and the Nigerian Humanist Movement, resulting in the NHM receiving both the AAI International Freidenker Award and the AAI Community Cooperation Award.[28]
In June 2009, as director of the
In 2012, Igwe wrote A Manifesto for a Skeptical Africa,[31] which received endorsements from multiple public activists in Africa, as well as skeptical endorsers around the world.[31]
Igwe presented a poster at the Sixth World Skeptics Congress (18–20 May 2012) in
On 12 July 2012, Igwe participated in a panel discussion at
In October 2012, Igwe was appointed as a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF),[35][36] a skeptical nonprofit organization founded by magician and skeptic James Randi. Randi said of the appointment, "We at the JREF are proud to work with Mr. Leo Igwe in fighting deadly misinformation in Africa, and around the world," adding that the JREF's mission "fits in perfectly with Mr. Igwe's very important work."[36]
In 2013, Igwe presented a speech at the
In 2017, Igwe attended the seventeenth European Skeptics Congress (ESC). Here, he spoke on the topics of science and religion. He attended a panel discussion with Petr Jan Vinš, a priest from the Old Catholic Church, who spoke about bringing more critical thinking to religion. Igwe was "sternly polite with his comments about not talking down to religious people and embracing science."[38]
In a 2017
Witchcraft tests
At the JREF's
The chicken test involves the candidate providing a few chickens to a diviner. The diviner ceremoniously beheads the chickens and watches how the decapitated animals fall. If the chickens land facing the sky, the suspect is innocent; but if they fall facing the ground, the accused is guilty.
The crocodile test is a simple one in which the accused is thrown into a river in which crocodiles are known to live. The suspect is guilty if attacked and eaten. This test is supposedly no longer in use. Igwe suspects that this may be due to over-hunting of crocodiles in the locations where the tests were performed.
The broom test uses the laws of physics to put the accused at a distinct disadvantage. The suspect is seated upon a small seat which provides very little support or balance. After some ritual actions, the bristle ends of two brooms are pushed against the front of the suspect's neck. If the brooms separate, or rather if the potential witch is able to remain upright, then the suspect is innocent. If the brooms do not separate and the accused is pushed from the seat, the suspect is guilty.[3]
iDoubt
Igwe described a method of critical thinking in an article for Committee for Skeptical Inquiry that he calls "iDoubt". iDoubt is a way to categorize and scrutinize information before accepting it as fact. Igwe labels the five doubts as "individual doubt, inspire doubt, inculcate doubt, inform doubt, and Internet doubt."[41]
"Individual doubt" labels one's personal questions based upon one's experience with a given subject. "Inspire doubt" refers to commending those who employ critical thinking and express doubts instead of freely accepting information as factual. "Inculcate doubt" highlights that while many people doubt naturally, critical thinking needs to be taught, preferably from a young age. "Inform doubt" identifies the need to express our critical thoughts in order to circulate them and encourage others to do the same. Finally, "Internet doubt" displays a way to prompt further critical thinking by posing questions and receiving more questions in response.[41]
Critical thinking workshops
Igwe has created teaching aids for teachers and primary school pupils on the topic of critical thinking. On 23 June 2021, he held his first workshop at Funmade Nursery and Primary School in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria. On 1 July, he presented the case for critical thinking in primary schools to fifty teachers in the Ibadan local government area of Nigeria. This was the first teacher training on critical thinking for primary schools in the state.[42]
According to Igwe, the African school system needs a paradigm shift and a radical change in the culture of teaching and learning for pupils. The teaching of critical thinking, he said, is intended to stimulate this change and spark an intellectual awakening and renaissance in schools.[43][44][45]
Ex-cellence Project
In 2022, Igwe founded an initiative that provides social and psychological support to non-religious former clergy in Africa. Named Ex-cellence Project, it is intended to correct misconceptions about leaving religion and resigning from clerical work, help individuals lead happy and meaningful lives outside of religion and clericalism, and provide a refuge for those who are physically and psychologically abused. The project aims to offer counselling and therapeutic programmes as well as a sense of community and belonging to members, regardless of their religious or clerical background.[46]
See also
- African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
- Atheist Alliance International
- Center for Inquiry
- Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network
- International Academy of Humanism
- International Humanist and Ethical Union
- James Randi Educational Foundation
References
- ^ ISSN 1321-3830.
- ^ a b "Episode 85, featuring Leo Igwe" (audio). European Skeptics Podcast. October 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Brown, Christopher (29 March 2014). "MTS: Meet Leo Igwe". Meet the Skeptics!. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Igwe, Leo – Junior Fellow". Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (2000). "When Sharia becomes the law of the land". Free Inquiry. 20 (4): 42.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (2004). "A Skeptical Look at African Witchcraft and Religion". Skeptic. 11 (1): 72.
- ^ "Saving Africa's Witch Children". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ "American Freetought Podcast episode 181". www.americanfreetought.com. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "CFI/Nigeria Leader Leo Igwe Featured Tonight on 'Saving Africa's Witch Children'". Center for Inquiry. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ a b "HBO: Saving Africa's Witch Children". HBO Documentaries. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Caste discrimination in Africa: IHEU speaks out at African Human Rights Commission". International Humanist and Ethical Union. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Protest at Harassment of Leo Igwe in Nigeria". European Humanist Federation. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ Pollock, David (8 March 2010). "Letter to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan" (PDF). European Humanist Federation.
- ^ "IHEU representative Leo Igwe jailed and beaten for human rights work". International Humanist and Ethical Union. 18 January 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ "Clampdown On Child Rights Activists In Akwa Ibom State: Leo Igwe Arrested By Police On the Orders Of Gov. Akpabio". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ a b Robbins, Martin (14 January 2011). "The dangerous fight for the 'child witches' of Nigeria". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ Sims, Paul. "Humanist campaigner Leo Igwe arrested in southern Nigeria". New Humanist Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Law, Stephen. "New additions to the International Academy of Humanism". Stephen Law. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "Tears and joy at IHEU General Assembly 2017". International Humanist and Ethical Union. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "Statements". Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (11 February 2020). "Towards an Effective Advocacy Against Witch Persecution in Malawi". The Maravi Post. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ a b c De Waal, Mandy (10 April 2012). "Suffer the little children". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ "Helen Ukpabio militia invade child rights conference in Calabar, Nigeria". Youtube.com. 29 July 2009.
- ^ Kamdar, Mehul. "Atheist Alliance International's 11th Annual Stars of Freethought Convention - Some Afterthoughts". Mukto-mona. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ Allen Jr., Norm R. "African Americans for Humanism in Africa". Council for Secular Humanism. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ "Atheist Alliance of America – Leo Igwe". 27 May 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ "Director of CFI – Nigeria Leo Igwe interviewed on BBC World Service". Center for Inquiry. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ "Do traditional beliefs in witchcraft or the power of juju hold back development in Africa?". BBC World Service – Africa. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ a b Igwe, Leo. "A Manifesto for a Skeptical Africa". James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (6 June 2012). "Leo Igwe – The Constant Fight Against Irrationality" (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). Interviewed by Kylie Sturgess.
- ^ a b c "The Amaz!ng Meeting 2012 – Program". James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "New Video from the Amaz!ng Meeting 2012: Supporting Skepticism Around the World". James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Hill, Sharon A. "Leo Igwe partners with JREF to respond to witchcraft problem in Africa". Doubtful News. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Leo Igwe Appointed as New JREF Research Fellow". James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ "Breaking the taboo of atheism in the black community (video)". Richard Dawkins Foundation. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ Gerbic, Susan (9 February 2018). "Skeptical Adventures in Europe, Part 2". www.csicop.org. Committee for skeptical inquiry. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (29 March 2018). "Why I choose humanism over faith". Ted Talks. Ted. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ "The Amaz!ng Meeting - Schedule". James Randi Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ a b Igwe, Leo (28 July 2017). "iDoubt: Critical Thinking and Skepticism in Africa in an Internet Age". CSI. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "Critical thinking, tool for future jobs and challenges". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (21 July 2021). "Developing resources for critical thinking for primary schools". Twitter.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (25 June 2021). "Critical Thinking Workshops: Preparing African School Children for Future Jobs and Challenges". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Igwe, Leo (3 July 2021). "Critical Thinking and Transformation of Teaching in Primary Schools". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Dubem, Colins (27 September 2022). "Ex-cellence Project and Psycho-social Support for Non-Religious Ex-clergies in Africa – By Leo Igwe". NaijaOnPoint. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
External links
- "Leo Igwe". Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- A Manifesto for a Skeptical Africa
- "HBO: Saving Africa's Witch Children". HBO Documentaries. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- "From Witch Burning to God-men: Supporting Skepticism Around the World". Youtube.com. 24 January 2013.
- "Helen Ukpabio militia invade child rights conference in Calabar, Nigeria". Youtube.com. 29 July 2009.