The organisers of the Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa (SASCA) are pleased to announce that the Third SASCA event will be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, from 16 to 18 September 2015.
This seminar series is jointly organised by ICLA (Institute for International and Comparative Law) at the University of Pretoria, and STIAS (Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study); it is funded by the Swedish Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. The seminar theme is “Constitutional adjudication in Africa.”
The changing role of constitutional courts or courts exercising constitutional jurisdiction in Africa reflects the global expansion of judicial power which started from the Second World War. This has resulted in fundamental changes in the position and role of such courts. Africa now provides an excellent example of the interplay of diverse constitutional review models and the prospects for new developments in constitutional adjudication.
Over the last two decades some of these courts have decided a litany of hotly contested social, political and economic questions. As the areas in which these courts intervene has grown, so too have their powers. By identifying the models of constitutional review adopted, this seminar seeks to investigate the ways in which these courts are contributing to enhancing constitutionalism and respect for the rule of law on the continent.
The seminar will also examine the extent to which the image of African courts as powerless, unimportant and irrelevant when faced with constitutional violations has been overcome. Issues interrogated will provide a basis for identifying new trends, challenges, lessons, opportunities and future directions.
Participants are drawn from African legal scholars, judges and legal practitioners as well as international scholars who have researched and written on constitutionalism in Africa.
Additional information
- More detailed information about the scope of SASCA-2015 is available from the Seminar Organiser, Prof. Charles M Fombad ([email protected]).
- The final programme for SASCA-2015 is available here.
- Information for visitors is available here, as well as a map of the area.
For enquiries regarding the venue, travel and accommodation: Please contact
Nel-Mari Loock, [email protected] or Johann Groenewald, [email protected].
Last update: 29 July 2015
