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Disability Justice in an African Legal Philosophical Context

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An African Path to Disability Justice

Part of the book series: Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice ((IUSGENT,volume 78))

Abstract

This chapter develops the central argument of the book. It proposes an African legal philosophy from a relational community ideal as a plausible and attractive way of defining disability justice. It argues that, although Africa’s rich customary and pluralist legal and intellectual heritage provides the most obvious foundation on which to define African legal philosophy, they are too heterogeneous and inherently descriptive to ground disability justice in necessary, sufficient, normative, general and universal terms. After demonstrating the difficulty with defining disability justice through Africa’s customary and pluralist heritage, the chapter outlines and defends a relational community conception of the ideal. Conceived as an African legal philosophy of disability justice, the proposal is offered as an alternative criterion for evaluating, criticising and modifying existing legal and political institutions, as well as for creating new ones to include and respond to the needs and dependencies of people with disabilities within the diverse communities across Africa.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Agbakoba and Nwauche (2006), Arowosegebe (2017) and Bennett et al. (2012).

  2. 2.

    Elegido (1994), Ayinla (2002, p. 147), and Driberg (1934, p. 231).

  3. 3.

    Gade (2013) and Oladosu (2001, pp. 13–14).

  4. 4.

    Clark (2011), Sanders (2007), Kirby (2006) and Tutu (1999).

  5. 5.

    Park (2010).

  6. 6.

    South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/. Accessed 2 February 2019.

  7. 7.

    For an example of the literature, which cuts across African legal philosophy, African legal theory and African jurisprudence, see: Bilchitz et al. (2017), Gebeye (2017a), Cornell (2014), Cornell and Muvangua (2012), Onazi (2014), Himonga et al. (2013), Murungi (2004, 2013), Bennett (2011), William and Oke (2008), Bohler-Muller (2007), Ahiauzu (2006), Idowu (2006), Menski (2006, pp. 380–492), Okafor (2006, 1984), Van der Walt (2006), Douzinas and Gearey (2005, pp. 283–302), Gearey (2003), Kroeze (2002), Oladosu (2001), Woodman and Obilade (1995), Nwakeze (1987), Mwalimu (1986), Taiwo (1984), and Elias (1956).

  8. 8.

    Murphy (2014), Bederman (2010), and Perreau-Saussine and Murphy (2007).

  9. 9.

    Elias is referring to indigenous judicial practices, whereby the guilt or innocence of a person accused of a crime was determined through the application of pain and suffering.

  10. 10.

    See Sect. 2.5 of Chap. 2 for more information on ethno-philosophy.

  11. 11.

    Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on the 16 December 1966.

  12. 12.

    For example, the Chagga in East Africa who treat physically disabled persons as pacifiers of evil spirits, or in Benin where they are treated as law enforcement personnel or the Turkana of Kenya who perceive children with disabilities as gifts from God.

  13. 13.

    For example, see the famous Nigerian case of Edet v Essien [1932] 11 NLR 47.

  14. 14.

    For example, see the Kenyan case of the Estate of Andrew Manunzyu Musyoka (2005) eKLR and the Nigerian case of Mojekwu v Mojekwu [1997] 7 NWLR 283.

  15. 15.

    Discussing the dissenting judgment in the famous case Bhe and others v Magistrate, Khayelista and others 2005 (1) BCLR 1 (CC) and 2004 (1) BCLR 27 (C); Cornell (2014, pp. 134–148) makes a persuasive argument in favour of principles justice within customary law norms that are capable of resolving disputes within it. However, Cornell’s argument may be true about customary law in South Africa, but it can only be vindicated across Africa by a comprehensive and empirical study of African customary law , which is quite difficult to achieve due to the share volume of this task. The point is that I would not be as confident as Cornell in concluding that Ubuntu exists as a universal feature of African customary law . However, I appreciate that Cornell treats the question of its empirical justification as different from its principles, ideals and concepts (Cornell 2014, p. 114).

  16. 16.

    This is the traditional attire associated with the people of Bamenda, North-West Cameroon.

  17. 17.

    Ujamaa refers to the late Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere’s social and political philosophy, which was modelled on the African kinship or extended family system. Ujamaa provided the philosophical underpinnings for Nyerere’s African socialist policies and programmes in postcolonial Tanzania.

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Onazi, O. (2020). Disability Justice in an African Legal Philosophical Context. In: An African Path to Disability Justice. Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, vol 78. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35850-1_5

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