Gacaca

Introduction to a roundtable discussion about the International Criminal Court and Africa, held at Africa Research Institute on 12 June 2019. https://audiomack.com/song/africaresearch/phil-clark-discusses-africa-book-tour-for-his-book-distant-justice

Criticism of the ICC on the grounds of anti-African bias or neo-colonialism is simplistic. It overstates the power of the ICC and underestimates the ability of African states to manipulate the Court for their own ends.

Piotr Cieplak notes that with a median age of just 18.7 years less than half of Rwanda’s population experienced the genocide first-hand. He asks whether this will change the way Kagame publicly discusses the events of 1994.

Since 2001, the gacaca community courts have been the centrepiece of Rwanda’s justice and reconciliation process. Nearly every adult Rwandan has participated in the trials, but lawyers are banned from any official involvement. Human rights organisations fiercely opposed the use...

Since 2001, the gacaca community courts have been the centrepiece of Rwanda’s justice and reconciliation process. Nearly every adult Rwandan has participated in the trials, but lawyers are banned from any official involvement. Human rights organisations fiercely opposed the use...

Speakers: Dr Phil Clark (SOAS), Sir Edward Clay (former non-resident British Ambassador to Rwanda)

While the full impact of the process will not be apparent for many years, gacaca community courts have delivered benefits to Rwandans in the spheres of justice, truth and reconciliation.