African Laws

African laws can be deemed to be as unique as the various civilizations and cultures the continent has birthed since the early days of man. Though a may be argued, it can be said that African law itself is inherent to the particular cultures and tribes it governs. Though there may be African laws that coincide with what may be considered a modern legal system, many of the tribes and civilizations in Africa will often rule themselves based on laws that have governed their people throughout history. That is not to say that some tribes or cultures are exempt from following or adhering to laws as imposed by a geopolitical and modern legal system, but rather they tend to rely on their own laws when dealing with matters are strictly related only to the people within said tribe or civilization. Many of the African laws that exist have been influenced by the continent’s long history of colonialism.

The best example of this is apparent with South Africa. South Africa was occupied by British and Dutch settlers. As these settlements began to develop, many of the settlers naturally began to enforce and establish their own laws, as they were in their homelands. Thus, much of South African laws will tend to reflect the legacy of its foreign settlers, and has come to be known as Anglo-Dutch law. That is not to exclude the possibilities that tribes within South Africa do not employ their system of laws, but rather they have assimilated their customary laws to work within the larger framework of the civil law.

The irony behind this is that some African laws are in fact part of some the oldest-known legal systems in the world. The basic concepts of justice, truth, and order can be found at the center of the Ancient Egyptian legal system. It is safe to say that some of the basis for many of the legal systems implemented throughout the world can trace their origins to some the African laws still in place today. Some of the African law systems of the tribes and cultures of Africa that were created thousands of years ago are still used as the main legal system today. The Somali people of Africa have their own unique legal system that has proven to still be effective rather than outdated, and in certain instances, can resolve problems quicker than modern civil law. The Somali people operate under their own legal system and civil code, where the elders of the tribe act as judges. The judges then help assess the situation and provide for reasonable solutions using previous cases of similar matters as precedents.

Though a seemingly simple manner in which to apply a legal, system, the Somali people have shown that their legal system is one that is just as effective when it come to resolving problems within their tribe than our customary modern laws. African laws have proven to be as diverse as the people in the continents tribes and cultures, yet also proven that even though they may be centuries old, are still effective in governing their people.