Awesome Event Alert: Transplanting (International) Laws.

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I can’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Attend and let us know how it goes! =)

Transplanting (International) Laws: Cultural and Traditional Implications in Africa

Veronica Fynn, With comment by Dr. Gloria Nne Onyeoziri & Laura Lee

12:00pm, Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Liu Institute for Global Issues, Multipurpose Room

In our so-called global society, the Western world (academicians, humanitarian organizations, politicians, researchers, amongst others) advance the argument that international law is universal, therefore, it should transcend borders and boundaries to ensure that human rights are guaranteed and protected for everyone. But the issue of transplanting international law is not that simple. In Africa, its evolution, history, application and implementation is dependent on several factors including (but not limited to) cultural, structural, traditional and religious norms and practices. Utilizing critical legal analysis and case examples, Ms. Fynn attempts to identify, discuss, and examine socio-cultural overtones associated with “photocopying” and “imitating” culturally insensitive legal norms on the continent.

Veronica Fynn is presently doing her PhD in Law at Osgoode Hall Law School with research focus on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Rural Post-War Liberia: (Inter)National Law. As an undergraduate student at UBC, she founded the Africa Awareness Initiative, a student driven initiative, responsible for the establishment of the first ever interdisciplinary African Studies Program. She has authored several books, book chapters and journal articles. Currently she is a visiting research scholar at Georgetown Law Center in Washington DC.

Ms Fynn hails from Liberia, West Africa and immigrated to Canada in 2001 as a WUSC Refugee Sponsored Student having lived as a refugee in Ghana for 9 years. She was recently awarded UBC Alumni Achievement Award – Global Citizenship 2010.

If possible, please register at www.ligi.ubc.ca/events/register.htm

Hosted by the Liu Institute’s Global Health and Transitional Justice Networks, in partnership with Africa Awareness Initiative.

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terryman

Shagufta is a UBC Political Science graduate with a passion for interdisciplinary thinking, writing, travel, reading, tea, and interesting conversations. She hopes to combine all of these things in her life work someday. For now though, she studies social policy and planning at the University of Toronto and shares her adventures in and out of the classroom at http://seriouslyplanning.wordpress.com.