Who: African Centre for Transnational Criminal Justice (ACTCJ) and International Law and Policy in Africa Network (ILPAN)

What: Webinar

Where: Online

When: 21 September - 22 September 2121

Detail:

Africa, International Criminal Justice, and Accountability for Colonial Crimes: Consensus and Dissonance

Accountability for atrocities committed across Africa during wars of colonial conquests and Accountability for atrocities committed across Africa during wars of colonial conquests and colonial administrations remain major blind spots of international criminal justice and international law. From the Herero and Nama Genocides in South-West Africa (now Namibia) to Massacres in Benin Kingdom (now in modern day Southern Nigeria), the history of colonialism in Africa is replete with mass atrocities some of which were perpetrated as recently as the 19th and 20th Centuries and at a time when some of those conducts already constituted crimes under customary international law and many of which would qualify as genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity today. This area, though under-researched remains of utmost importance to Africa and its struggle for some measure of justice for colonial atrocities and should be brought to the fore of policy debates, social conversations, and legal discourses on the past and future of the African region and its relations with international actors. To the extent that the legacy of Africa’s colonial experience has largely determined its present realities and will mostprobably shape its future, it is imperative that some of these issues be engaged at different levels.

The African Centre for Transnational Criminal Justice (ACTCJ), University of the Western Cape and the International Law and Policy in Africa Network (ILPAN) will host a 2-day webinar from 21st–22nd September 2021 to examine issues relating to this theme. The keynote address willbe given by Professor Gerhard Kemp, University of Derby.

ACTCJ and ILPAN now invite abstracts from prospective speakers on a non-exhaustive list of topics on the theme:

• Grave Violations of Human Rights

• Reparations

• Health

• Colonial History

• Contemporary African Conflicts

• Art and Heritage

• Land, Natural Resources Control

• The Right to Development

Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent via email to the organisers, Dr John-Mark Iyi (ACTCJ) and Dr Eki Yemisi Omorogbe (ILPAN) by Friday 28 May 2021 with title of paper, author’s name, institutional affiliation and a short CV (max. 2 pages) and confirmation that the paper is neither published nor submitted for publication. Authors of accepted abstracts will be informed by 7th June 2021 and will be required to submit a full draft paper by 1st September 2021. The expectation is that good quality papers given at the webinar will be revised and submitted for publication as part of a peer-reviewed journal special issue.

Call to action: Call for abstracts

For more info: