Human Rights

This is an interdisciplinary platform for exciting insights, opinions, reviews, and critical analyses of human rights issues in Africa. A cross-section of contributors shares and cover human rights issues related to policy, advocacy, practice, and awareness. The insights shared unveil a wide spectrum where human rights principles and theories interface with lived realities of people and communities in Africa.

Besides the blog contributions, the africanlegalstudies.blog and the Chair of African Legal Studies at the University of Bayreuth are constantly developing new initiatives to exchange and engage with scholars and practitioners. These include research projects such as “Intractable Human Rights Issues” or debate series (e.g. “Everyone’s human rights”).

When the Mask Falls: International Law, Power Politics and Africa’s Strategic Future

Jean-Aristid BanyurwaheJan 9, 202611 min read
When the Mask Falls: International Law, Power Politics and Africa’s Strategic Future

Introduction The current moment is often described as an escalation. In truth, it is something else: a revelation. International politics, or to put it more…

Between joy in legal research and a foolish call – Why are some human rights contentious and others not?

Isabelle ZundelDec 26, 20259 min read
Between joy in legal research and a foolish call – Why are some human rights contentious and others not?

When Laws Fall Short: Unresolved Questions and Emerging Realities My doctoral research focussed on analysing the normative, institutional and procedural frameworks of the regional African…

Whose Law Protects Us? A Journey to Ubuntu

Ange-Dorine IrakozeDec 19, 20256 min read
Whose Law Protects Us? A Journey to Ubuntu

At the outset of my doctoral journey, I knew with certainty that I wanted to investigate and address social injustices embedded in mineral resource governance…

The Poem as Feeling: Belonging and Discomfort

Gift Gawanani MaulukaDec 12, 20258 min read
The Poem as Feeling: Belonging and Discomfort

I wrote the poem Robes Rob Us in a moment when my mind was clouded by the pressure of completing my PhD journey.  It was…

Between Human Rights Law and African Literature: Interview with Grace A. Musila

Prof. Grace A. MusilaDec 6, 202510 min read
Between Human Rights Law and African Literature: Interview with Grace A. Musila

Introduction This interview was conducted during a conference hosted by the Chair of African Legal Studies (26 – 28 November 2025) at the University of…

Law and Belonging in the Context of SOGIESC Rights: The Case of South Africa

Sabrina SteudtelNov 28, 20259 min read
Law and Belonging in the Context of SOGIESC Rights: The Case of South Africa

Introduction Belonging is not visibility, and it is not law on paper. It is the ability to live without fear, to move in public without…