Christiana Banja
Christiana Banja is an interdisciplinary researcher working across anthropology, social work, and development studies, with a focus on Sierra Leone and West Africa. She completed a Research Master's in African Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2026. Her research examines how everyday community practices intersect with state policies and development programmes, with particular attention to education, gender, youth, and social change.
She has professional experience in research and international development, including work with the Institute of Development in Sierra Leone, the International Republican Institute, and the United States Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Freetown. Her work has involved programme research, monitoring, and evidence generation. She has strong qualitative research skills, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions, and document and policy analysis. She is particularly interested in ethnography as a way of understanding how people's everyday experiences connect with wider political and institutional processes.
Her current research interests include waithood, youth unemployment, gender relations, and the ways young people navigate limited opportunities and imagine their futures. She is interested in pursuing doctoral research in anthropology that centers local experiences and contributes to wider debates on African societies and development.
List of recent publications:
Banja, Christiana. (2026). Between the State and the Shore: An Ethnography of Early Learning in Tombo Village, Sierra Leone. Research Master’s Thesis, Leiden University.
Banja, C. (2025). "Mining Childhood: The Impact of ‘Blood Diamonds’ on Early Childhood Education." Paper presented at the Ruptures and Riches Conference, African Studies Centre Leiden.
Banja, C. (2025). "Rethinking Global Health in Africa: Learning from History, Human Rights, and Microbes." ASCL Africanist Blog, African Studies Centre Leiden.
Banja, C. (2024). The Intersection of Love and Societal Norms in Marriage: who gains and who suffers?
Banja, C. (2019). A Comparative Study of the Challenges Faced by Women in Leadership Positions: A Case of 50/50 Group Tower Hill, Freetown.