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The Devil Made Me Do It: Understanding Occult Crime in South Africa
20 April 2026, 5:30 pm–8:00 pm
The UCL Africa Research Centre is delighted to welcome author Prof Nicky Falkof, Director of the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, to discuss her new book.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Organiser
-
Institute of Advanced Studies
Location
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IAS Common GroundG11, ground floor, South WingUCL, Gower Street, LondonWC1E6BTUnited Kingdom
About the book
The Devil Made Me Do It: Understanding Occult Crime in South Africa
Nicky Falkof (Penguin, 2025)
South Africa can sometimes appear to be awash with occult crime. From satanist conspiracies and witchcraft accusations to muti murders and demonic possession, a trawl through our national news suggests a society at war with the forces of evil. Why does the occult have such a grasp on our collective imagination? In this vastly unequal country, with its crises of gender-based violence, child abuse, poverty and unemployment, there are more than enough obvious dangers to our social stability. Why, then, are South Africans so quick to blame the supernatural for violence and misfortune? How do beliefs in occult crime intersect with problems of gender, race and class? And is there any truth to these supernatural tales?
The Devil Made Me Do It examines these and other thorny questions by probing the stories, beliefs and rumours behind the so-called occult crimes that have entranced South Africa’s fractured psyche.
About the event
Author Nicky Falkof will be joined by Adam Harris (UCL Political Science) to discuss the book.
All are welcome. Please register: https://occult-crime.eventbrite.co.uk
This event has been organised by the UCL Africa Research Centre. The Centre aspires to contribute to advancing knowledge of the peoples, societies and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora. It aims to be a platform for discussions of relevant issues related to the interests and wellbeing of Africans and those in the diasporic population.
About the Speakers
Nicky Falkof
SARCHi Chair in Critical Diversity Studies and Professor of Media Studies at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Nicky Falkof is a writer and academic based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she heads up the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies. Her research is primarily concerned with race and anxiety in South Africa, with a specific interest in the forms, mythologies and consequences of white fear. She has secondary interests in gender, popular media and culture, moral panic and the social geography of global south cities, particularly Joburg.
More about Nicky FalkofAdam Harris
Professor in Development Politics at Political Science, UCL
His research interests are in development, ethnic, and African politics. In his book Everyday Identity and Electoral Politics: Race, Ethnicity, and the Bloc Vote in South Africa and Beyond (Oxford University Press, 2022), he argues that the degree to which ethnic group membership influences political preferences is determined by one’s position in their ethnic group, which is in turn determined by their ethnic attributes.
More about Adam Harris