Could traditional dispute resolution mechanisms be the solution in post-colonial developing countries – particularly in Africa?
Keywords:
Too much litigation, traditional dispute resolution, Africa, impact on litigation, integration into formal justice, challenges, Demasiados litigios, resolución tradicional de conflictosAbstract
This paper deals with the possible role that traditional dispute resolution mechanisms can play in reducing the burden of too much litigation in post-colonial countries – particularly in Africa. The importance of such mechanisms has been recognized by the United Nations and by the constitutions and laws of many African countries. The paper addresses the issue of the effect a paucity of lawyers in African countries might have on the litigation in such countries. The approach and methods of traditional dispute resolution in Africa are discussed and the question raised whether such traditional dispute resolution mechanisms can be integrated into the Western approach to dispute resolution in order to reduce litigation. The challenges facing such integration are also addressed. The article concludes that traditional methods of dispute resolution are already reducing the burden of too much litigation, but further research using statistical and empirical data should be undertaken to substantiate this.
El presente artículo se ocupa del posible papel que pueden desempeñar los mecanismos tradicionales de resolución de conflictos para reducir la carga del exceso de demandas en países poscoloniales, sobre todo de África. La importancia de dichos mecanismos ha sido reconocida por Naciones Unidas y por constituciones y leyes de muchos países africanos. El artículo trata del efecto que la escasez de abogados en países africanos puede producir en los litigios de esos países. Se someten a debate el enfoque y los métodos de la resolución tradicional de conflictos en África, y se plantea la cuestión de si esos mecanismos pueden ser integrados en el enfoque occidental de resolución de conflictos, a fin de reducir los litigios. También se abordan los desafíos de esa integración. La conclusión a la que se llega es que los métodos tradicionales ya están reduciendo la carga de litigios, pero que ello debería ser respaldado con más investigaciones que utilicen datos estadísticos y empíricos.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1145
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