AGendA
FRIDAY, 17 OCTOBER: SOUTHERN SUN MAPUTO HOTEL
8.30-9.30 AM
REGISTRATION
9.30-10.15 AM
Professor, University of Geneva, Sciences Po
Former Judge, International Court of Justice
opening ceremony
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Chair: MS. TAFADZWA PASIPANODYA, Partner, Foley Hoag LLP & Vice-President, AfSIL
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DR. JEAN-PELÉ FOMÉTÉ, Deputy Registrar, International Court of Justice
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MR. DIMETRIO MANJATE, Advisor, ICT, and International Cooperation, Mozambican Bar Association
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PROF. MAKANE MOÏSE MBENGUE, University of Geneva & Sciences Po Paris, President of AfSIL
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H.E. JUDGE RAYMOND RANJEVA, former Vice President, International Court of Justice
10.15-10.50 AM
KEYNOTE SPEECH
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Chair: DR. JAMSHEED PEEROO, Barrister, The 36 Group, & Secretary General, AfSIL
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MR. EDWARD KWAKWA, Assistant Director General, WIPO
10.50-11.15 AM
Coffee Break & Conference Photo
11.15-12.30 pM
PANEL I: STATE RESPONSIBILITY & LEGAL PATHWAYS FOR RESTITUTION OF AFRICAN ART & ARTIFACTS
• Chair: H.E. JUDGE DIRE TLADI, Judge, International Court of Justice
• PROF. MARIA CHIARA MALAGUTI, President, UNIDROIT
• MS. EVA KEÏTA, Independent Consultant, “Building the case for an ICJ Advisory Opinion for the Restitution of African Cultural Heritage”
• PROF. BENJAMIN TRAORÉ, Associate Professor, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
• MR. KARIM M’ZIANI, Legal Counsel, Permanent Court of Arbitration & Deputy Secretary General, AfSIL
12.30-1.30 pM
LUNCH
1.30-2.30 pM
PANEL II: CULTURAL HERITAGE UNDER SIEGE: THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN PROTECTING AFRICA’S CULTURAL HERITAGE FROM CONFLICT, ILLICIT TRAFFICKING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
• Chair: MR. JACOB OMORODION, Head of International Partnerships and Vice-Chair of the Development Board, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA)
• DR. AYLA DO VALE ALVES, Lecturer in Law, University of South Australia, “International Protection of Indigenous Cultural Heritage: Changes from Within and Beyond State-Centrism”
• DR. WEBBER NDORO, Director, Islamic World Heritage Center (ICESCO)
• DR. STEVE TIWA FOMEKONG, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law of Université Laval, “Legal Protection of Cultural Heritage in Mali’s Conflict: Challenges and Pathways for Enforcement”
2:30-3:30 pM
PANEL III: TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, INDIGENOUS PRACTICES, INNOVATION & AFRICA’S IP LANDSCAPE
• DR. CAROL CRAVERO, Attorney-at-Law and Yale ASAP Fellow, Global Justice Program, Yale University, “Sustainable Public Procurement in Africa: The Role of Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Values”
• MS. AILEEN KIMUHU, PhD Candidate, University of Exeter, “Protection is Not a Neutral Term: The Right to the Protection of Traditional Knowledge under Kenya’s TKCE Act 2016”
• MR. JACKSON SHAW KERN, Partner, ALG LLP, “Protecting Precious Biodiversity and its Traditional Knowledge: A Case Study of Ethiopia’s Ancient Grain”
3.30-4.00 pM
Coffee Break
4.00 – 5.00 pM
FIRESIDE CHAT: AFRICAN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: NAVIGATING GLOBAL MARKETS & CAPTURING VALUE
• Chair: MRS. KIKE ALUKO WAHUTU, Entertainment Attorney, Greenberg Traurig, LLP & Advisory Board Chair, African Creative Economies Initiative at Harvard Law School
• MR. MOREIRA CHONGUIÇA, Saxophonist, Composer, Producer, Ethnomusicologist & Cultural Entrepreneur
5.00 – 5.45 pM
PANEL IV: CULTURAL RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS
Chair: MR. YOUSSEF AZIZ, Law Clerk, Constitutional Court of South Africa & Secretary, AfSIL
• H.E. AMB. NAMIRA NEGM, Director, African Migration Observatory & AfSIL Honorary President
• PROF. HÉLÈNE TIGROUDJA, Visiting Professor of Public International Law at CIL - National University of Singapore/Aix-Marseille University, “Cultural Diversity v. Universality of Human Rights: Are the two irreconcilable?"
6.30 pM
COCKTAIL RECEPTION: Polana Serena Hotel
2025 African Society of International Law Award for Excellence in International Law & Practice
Inaugural Yvette Rabetafika Ranjeva Best Paper Award
2:30–3:00 pM
CLOSING CEREMONY: Legacies And Horizons: Concluding Reflections On Africa, Culture, And International Law
SATURDAY, 18 OCTOBER: POLANA SERENA HOTEL
9.00-10.00 AM
PANEL V: TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION & AFRICA’S IP LANDSCAPE
• Chair: MR. NYANJE JOHN, Consultant, LawCom Institute
• MS. GRACE GATERE, PhD Candidate, The Technical University of Kenya, “Blockchain-Based Copyright Management for Visual Artists in Kenya”
• MS. SIRAN MAHAMA, PhD Candidate, University of London, “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for the Preservation, Protection, and Commercialization of African Traditional Knowledge: A Legal and Policy Perspective”
• MS. ATUPELE MASANJALA, Lecturer, University of Malawi, “Leaving Money on the Table: The Case of Malawi and Digital Content Creation”
10.00-11.00 AM
PANEL VI: AFRICA & THE CULTURE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
• Chair: DR. APOLLIN KOAGNE ZOUAPET, Legal Officer, International Court of Justice
• MR. YOUSSEF AZIZ, Law Clerk, Constitutional Court of South Africa & Secretary, AfSIL, “Between Recognition and Refusal: Indigenous (Legal) Resistance in ‘Quasi-Sovereign’ Africa ”
• DR. IDRISS FOFANA, Assistant Professor, Harvard University
• MS. INES MESEK, Associate Legal Officer, International Court of Justice, “Perceptions and Limitations of the Right to Self-Determination in Africa?”
11.00-11.30 AM
Coffee Break
11.30-12.30 AM
PANEL VII: DECOLONIZING MUSEUMS
• Chair: DR. APOLLIN KOAGNE ZOUAPET, Legal Officer, International Court of Justice
• MR. YOUSSEF AZIZ, Law Clerk, Constitutional Court of South Africa & Secretary, AfSIL, “Between Recognition and Refusal: Indigenous (Legal) Resistance in ‘Quasi-Sovereign’ Africa ”
• DR. IDRISS FOFANA, Assistant Professor, Harvard University
• MS. INES MESEK, Associate Legal Officer, International Court of Justice, “Perceptions and Limitations of the Right to Self-Determination in Africa?”
12.30-1.30 pM
LUNCH
1:30 - 2.30 pm
PANEL VIII: CULTURE, CONFLICT & JUSTICE: AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW
• Chair: MR. KANYIRI KARIUKI, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya & AfSIL Conference Committee Member
• MS. MELISSA HENDRICKSE, Legal Adviser, Amnesty International, “The Bio-logic of the Crime of Genocide: International criminal law and the destruction of African culture”
• DR. TAMER MORRIS, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney, “Right of Peace and Security in Armed Conflict, an African perspective”
• DR. VERA PIOVESAN, Assistant Professor, Charles University, “Trajectories of Justice: Revisiting the Role of Traditional Justice Mechanisms in International Criminal Law”
• MR. ELVIS ONGIRI, LL.B. Candidate, Kabarak University, “Decolonising intertemporal law for the recognition of colonisation as a crime against humanity”
2.30 – 3.15 pm
CLOSING CEREMONY: LEGACIES AND HORIZONS: CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS ON AFRICA, CULTURE, AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
• Chair: MS. EVA KEÏTA, Commissioner, AfSIL & Chair, 2025 AfSIL Annual Conference Committee
• PROF. MAKANE MOÏSE MBENGUE, University of Geneva & Sciences Po Paris, President of AfSIL
• H.E. AMB. NAMIRA NEGM, Director, African Migration Observatory & AfSIL Honorary President
•PROF. HÉLÈNE TIGROUDJA, Visiting Professor of Public International Law at CIL - National University of Singapore/Aix-Marseille University
CONFERENCE SIDE EVENTS
• Academic Paper Workshop Session
• Early Career Meet-up
speakers
Confirmed speakers include Judge Dire Tladi (ICJ), Ambassador Namira Negm (African Migration Observatory), Prof. Makane Moïse Mbengue (University of Genega), Mr. Edward Kwakwa (WIPO), Dr. Webber Ndoro (ICESCO), and Prof. Helene Tigroudja (Human Rights Committee) and more than 30 authors presenting their key insights from papers addressing the topic of Africa, Culture and International Law from a broad spectrum of perspectives.”
2025 AFSIL CONFERENCE SPONSORS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTERS
previous Events
2015
The Contribution of Regional Courts to the Development of International Law
2014
International Criminal Law
2013
Disputes Resolution in International Law
2012
Creation of State in International Law
Publications
The Society has had an annual conference every year over the past ten years. Each conference has led to the development of a publication of some of the papers presented at the annual conference. These include:
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African and the Challenge of Climate Change, Edit by Inès Nnoko Ndonko (publication expected end of 2024).
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Africa and International Trade Law, Edited by Karim M’ziani (publication expected end of 2023). Call for Paper
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Africa and International Environmental Law, Edited by Isabelle Rouche, Pedone (publication expected 2022)
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Africa, Regional Tribunal and Development of International Law, Pedone (2019)
