25 September 2022
Nigeria/Literature/Film/Biyi Bandele: The 54-year-old has died in August, a month before the premiere of his latest film, an adaptation of Wole Soyinka's “Death and the King's Horseman”. The article is an homage to an artist who, for several decades, had “blazed his own path in a career marked by artistic virtuosity and reinvention.” Born in 1967 in Kaduna state, he has mostly lived in Britain since 1990. His best-know book is “Burma Boy” about the role of African soldiers in the Burma Campaign, based on the World War II experiences of his father. “Yoruba Boy Running”, a so far unpublished novel, “based on the life of the first African Anglican bishop of West Africa, Samuel Ajayi Crowther” is to be published by Penguin’s Hamish Hamilton soon.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62878675
24 September 2022
South Africa/Traditional Justice: The Traditional Courts Bill has – after 14 years of controversy and amendments – finally been approved by Parliament and now only needs to be signed by the President to become law. The Bill does not include an opt-out clause, “all levels of the traditional court system must be explored before a litigant may appeal to (…) a formal State court”. This gives a lot of power to mostly male traditional leaders, “many with questionable legitimacy”, there is a danger of reinforcing patriarchy and the right to a fair trial may not be guaranteed. In the article’s author’s view, the Bill gives too “little room for indigenous laws to thrive”. “Lest we forget, the State is a colonial clone, since it retained colonial socioeconomic systems. It imposes European culture on Africans.”
https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-a-new-traditional-courts-bill-but-it-doesnt-protect-indigenous-practices-190938