directed by Ewa Marcinowska
Long time ago I saw a short TV documentary about Anja. I was moved. Then, I read a book about her. I was amazed. Now, I’ve just seen this documentary. And even though I knew the story of Anja and Land of Hope, I cried a lot. That is why I would like you to learn about this film, because such reality and such inspirations must be shared. Anja Ringgren Lovén is a Danish woman who one day decided to leave everything, move to Nigeria and save children. Why? Because in Nigeria it’s still common for people to accuse children of witchcraft. Meaning, if something bad happens in the village or to the family, the child might be taken for a witch responsible for that. In such case, the child is beaten, harmed, sometimes even raped, and, in the end, banished from the village. Yes, it’s 2024 and it’s still a common practice. Some of those children die because of hunger, thirst, or simply because of the scale and seriousness of their injuries. If you’re furious right now, I’m sure you’ll appreciate Anja even more. She is obviously against this inhuman practice, so together with other brave people they are finding such children and try to save them. Sometimes they manage to find them on time, so after hospitalisation and decent care, those children stay alive. But sometimes, even their biggest efforts aren’t enough… If you haven’t heard of Anja and her Land of Hope (centre for the saved children in Nigeria), perhaps you’ve seen an extremely popular photo that was taken in 2016. In that photo, she’s crouching next to a two-year old boy and giving him water to drink. That child was horribly neglected and when the rescue team took him to the hospital, doctors weren’t giving him much chance for survival. Whenever I hear or read this story, I always have tears in my eyes. Imagine letting a two-year-old die in your village, right in front of you, simply because someone is accusing him for bringing bad luck. Do you understand it? Watching a child slowly dying because of some ridiculous belief. The feeling of anger and helplessness is just overwhelming for me. But, speaking of that little superhero, he managed to survive! Anja decided to name him Hope, which sounds more than perfect in such situation. Besides, to her, HOPE is also an abbreviation for Help One Person Everyday, which resonates with me strongly. Anja and her team literally save lives of those innocent children everyday, but it doesn’t mean your actions might be less valuable. You may help someone on the street finding their way, or help your colleague at work with some difficult task, or even help yourself – because you also need to focus on your own needs. Otherwise, you won’t be able to help others. And that’s another thing that Anja shares with us – she takes care of herself, of her family, because only this way she’s strong enough to help the abandoned children. As I said, I cried a lot watching this documentary – sometimes because of frustration, sometimes because of amazement, but those tears were very much healing to me. I can’t change the fact that numerous children get rejected and abused, but I can make small steps to help at least one of them. Personally, I’ve been a volunteer in a children’s hospital for over 10 years now – maybe I don’t save lives, but I do what I can to make those lives slightly better. Do what you can and stay mindful towards other people. That’s what humanity should be about, right?
My rating: 8/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 