Justice Administration Outside the Ordinary Courts of Law in Mainland Tanzania: The Case of Ward Tribunals in Babati District

by Yusufu Q. Lawi, Boston University Introduction Since colonial days, justice administration in what is now mainland Tanzania, has invariably involved arbitral procedures alongside the more court-based litigation process. The British colonial government in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) systematized and put in place a system of customary arbitration which, although distinct, formed part of the colonial […]

The U.N. Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Concludes its First Case: A Monumental Step Towards Truth

by Paul J. Magnarella Introduction Over the past year, the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has made significant progress in apprehending and prosecuting high ranking persons responsible for the 1994 genocide of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda (1). The first case to be concluded at the ICTR, the case against Rwandan ex-premier […]

Lawgiving and the Administration of Justice in Some African and Other Early States

by Henri J. M. Claessen Introduction In this paper I present some aspects of lawgiving and the administration of justice in some early states. To do so I will apply some of the concepts developed by anthropologists. The use of these terms makes it necessary to ask to what extent it is useful to employ […]

Africa Versus the West in the Court of Reparations

by ‘Muyiwa Falaiye Introduction When Alex Haley’s Roots was first serialized on Nigerian television in the 1970’s, I was too young to appreciate it beyond seeing it as the story of slave trade. On the one side were the whitemen on a savage mission of capturing as many slaves as possible to work their ever expanding plantations. […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Justice