Ulrike Wanitzek

Land rights in conservation areas in Tanzania

Conflicts arise increasingly in Tanzania which involve claims in land located in conservation areas. These conflicts arise, in many cases, between members of the local communities and the state authorities in charge of the conservation areas. They concern customary land rights both of pastoral and of agricultural communities, a topic which also touches upon their identities. The article investigates the legal dimension of these disputes by discussing the law governing conservation areas in the wider context of land tenure legislation. Within this context, the legal framework of conservation areas is discussed from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Nature conservation must respect the needs of the local population affected. It is therefore argued that concepts of community-based conservation should be developed further to work towards the goal of integrating nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

The Power of Language in the Discourse on Women's Rights: Some Examples from Tanzania

The primary object of this paper is to contribute to the work of living-law scholars by adding an element of language to their research agenda. It is argued that language as a means of social interaction constitutes a powerful medium for the construction and transmission of culture. As a medium of communication, language expresses hidden notions of power, although at a superficial level the ideas and meanings contained in ordinary words are often assumed to be universally accepted by those who speak the language. The main questions raised in this paper are: in what way has language been used as an expression of power? how does legal language reflect and reinforce male dominance over women and, more generally, gender bias? what can and ought to be done? The paper shows the relevance of language to the work currently being done by living-law scholars and suggests possible areas of cooperation between lawyers and scholars of language and gender.

Familienbilder in afrikanischen Familienrechten

Nach den wohl meisten afrikanischen Familienauffassungen2 ist ‚Familie‘ ursprunglich und in erster Linie im Sinne der Abstammungsfamilie (lineage) einer Person zu verstehen. ‚Familie‘ beruht dabei auf der Abstammungslinie, und Linearitat ist das pragende Strukturelement. Je nach herrschendem Abstammungssystem wird die Zugehorigkeit zur Abstammungsfamilie durch den Vater, die Mutter oder beide Eltern vermittelt. So sind beispielsweise in einem patrilinearen System alle von einem gemeinsamen Vater, dessen Vater usw. abstammenden Personen Mitglieder einer Abstammungsfamilie; und in einem matrilinearen System alle von einer gemeinsamen Mutter, deren Mutter usw. Abstammenden. Mehrere Abstammungsfamilien, die ihre Abstammung auf einen gemeinsamen Vorfahren zuruckfuhren, konnen sich zu groseren Gruppen formieren (z.B. maximal lineages oder Clan-Sektionen), und mehrere solcher grosen Gruppen, die ihre Herkunft von einem gemeinsamen mythischen Vorfahren herleiten, bilden einen Clan.

The Law and Practice Relating to the Adoption of Children in Tanzania

The law relating to the adoption of children in Tanzania has, since its inception, remained obscure. It has neither received judicial interpretation comparable to other branches of family law nor has it been a subject of academic discourse. This is so despite the fact that the first adoption legislation was introduced in colonial Tanganyika as early as 1942, was repealed and re-enacted in 1953 and has remained in force ever since.Some statistical information regarding how this legislation has been utilised by the population would assist in further elaboration of the above contention. During the first 18 years of the operation of the Ordinance, i.e. from 1944 to the end of the British colonial era in 1961, the High Court of Tanganyika, which under the Ordinance had exclusive jurisdiction to hear adoption applications, made a total of 130 adoption orders. This works out to an average of seven adoption orders per year. With regard to the cultural background of the applicants, so far as this could be ascertained, Europeans formed the majority accounting for about two thirds while members of the Asiatic communities accounted for about one third of the total number of adoption orders granted by the High Court. The number of African applicants was comparatively insignificant.After independence, the picture changed considerably, both in terms of volume of adoption applications and the cultural background of the leading applicants.

In memoriam Professor Gordon Roger Woodman 1937–2017

In memoriam Professor Gordon Roger Woodman, Emeritus Professor of Comparative Law, Dr jur. h.c. (University of Bayreuth), D. Litt. h.c. (University of Ghana), MV (Member of the Order of the Volta, ...