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VOL. 9, ISSUE 4 (2023)
The indigenous African concept of human right: A farce or a misjudge
Authors
Simeon Olaosebikan Oni
Abstract
The concept of human rights is eroneously
believed to have its origin in the West and that it was ‘imported’ into Africa.
The question is: Did the indigenous African communities possess or know
anything about human rights? If the answer is No, how then is human rights a
global concept if the continent of Africa truly had no idea of human rights?
The negative picture painted by the West concerning the concept of human rights
is that it is alien to the indegenous African political system. They postulate
that the African concept of justice has little or no regard for human rights. The
ideal concept of human rights was missing not only in non-western traditions
but also in western societies. The pro-African writers believe that the concept
of human rights is given better expression than the then neo-colonial
States. The Westernview that the customs and traditions of the
pre-colonial African communities knew nothing like human rights is jaundiced
and considered as another Western attempt to discredit, subjugate and re-colonise
Africa. This paper shall examine the degree of compliance of Africa with the
universal human rights concept and suggest appropriate recommendations to make
African concept of human rights to be more proactive where necessary.
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Pages:119-125
How to cite this article:
Simeon Olaosebikan Oni "The indigenous African concept of human right: A farce or a misjudge". International Journal of Law, Vol 9, Issue 4, 2023, Pages 119-125
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