¡°Justice is never justice if conducted in a language one does not understand,¡± said Kenyan author Ng?g? wa Thiong¡¯o.
At the?Academic Conference on Africa in Kikuyu, Mr. wa Thiong¡¯o spoke about African languages, the people of Africa, and their denial of truth, power, and justice.
His keynote address aptly reflected this year¡¯s conference theme "Power, Justice, and the People: Human Rights and the Rule of Law for Africa¡¯s Transformation".
Speakers and participants called for a paradigm shift that fosters more innovative Africa-centred solutions to the continent¡¯s challenges. They emphasized the importance of enhancing collaboration between academics and policymakers to work more closely as allies, using institutions for transformation to address the deficit of scholar-practitioners, developing more contextual people-centred policies, and nurturing development building on the continent¡¯s rich Indigenous knowledge to resolve current challenges.
Concluding the event, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa Cristina Duarte?said the continent has the capacity and resources to finance its development and is already financing most of it, with external aid providing a fraction of the development funding.
However, she said, efforts must consider the quadruple nexus of development, peace and security, humanitarian work, and human rights.
She summed this up in four?points:
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Durable peace in Africa requires sustainable development
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Sustainable development requires sustainable financing
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Sustainable financing requires control of economic and financial flows
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Control over economic and financial flows requires effective States (governance)
This requires greater collaboration between African scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to generate African-led solutions that enhance peace and security, the rule of law, and human rights to create a conducive environment for development.
The recently launched UN 2.0, which seeks to build a UN system that can better support Member States in the years to come, is an excellent opportunity to provide the required support.
As a follow-up to the conference, the?Office of the Special Adviser on Africa?has issued a call for papers on original research, case studies, and policy analyses that explore Africa's journey toward more inclusive and effective justice systems.
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