Harvard African Law Association

In Dead Aid, Dambisa Moyo describes the state of postwar development policy in Africa today and unflinchingly confronts one of the greatest myths of our time: that billions of dollars in aid sent from wealthy countries to developing African nations has helped to reduce poverty and increase growth. Debunking the current model of international aid promoted by both Hollywood celebrities and policy makers, Moyo offers a bold new road map for financing development of the world’s poorest countries that guarantees economic growth and a significant decline in poverty—without reliance on foreign aid or aid-related assistance.

Dambisa Moyo was born and raised in Zambia, Southern Africa. She completed a PhD in Economics at Oxford University and holds a Masters from Harvard University. She completed a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and MBA in Finance at the American University in Washington D.C. She worked at Goldman Sachs for 8 years in the debt capital markets, hedge fund coverage and in global macroeconomics teams. Previously she worked at the World Bank in Washington D.C.. Dambisa was recently nominated to the Board of Lundin Petroleum – a global independent oil and gas exploration and production company.
Venue: Harvard Kennedy School, Perkins Room (4th Floor of Rubenstein Building)
Time:  4pm

We look forward to seeing you all. For more information about the book and the author visit: http://www.dambisamoyo.com/

Here’s an e-mail I’ve been sending around…if you’re reading this, please come out on Thursday evening!

Hi Everyone,

I’m writing to personally invite you to the HALA Social/Dinner this Thursday, March 12th at 7pm in Hauser 101 on the Harvard Law School campus. At the social, HALA, along with representatives from the Africa Caucus at the Kennedy School, will launch the Africa Week at Harvard Website (Africa Week will be an exciting week full of Africa centered events all over Harvard), as well as update you on upcoming events and on-going projects.  You will have a chance to voice any Africa-related concerns you might have and/or request that HALA or the Africa Caucus engage in a particular activity or host specific events, panels, etc….

Finally, and most importantly, it will be a great opportunity to meet Africans and others interested in Africa from various parts of the Harvard Campus over GOOD FREE FOOD! I hope to see you there.

Amaka

On February 27th, 2009, HALA and the Africa Caucus at HKS hosted Mallam Nasir El-Rufai at HLS to speak on the legal and political factors that drove his controversial policies during his tenure as the Minister of Abuja, Nigeria.  Click here for the powerpoint presentation he used during his talk:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hala/AbujaRestoration.ppt

Click here for some pictures of Abuja:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hala/AbujaNigeria.ppt

Dr. Calestous Juma, who was our first presenter in the HALA Speakers Series, is organizing an effort to develop a media lab for a community of 60,000 people in Western Kenya where he was born. He is now contacting his friends and colleagues to explore if they might be willing to join him in financially Sponsoring part of the $30,000 for content materials, sourcing the computers and other items as well as the logistical and shipping costs needed to make this happen.

Dr. Juma said, “I hope they will help to develop the Victoria Institute of Science and Technology (VIST) so that it can help to improve the quality of secondary education in the community.”

As part of this, the seven participating schools will match each donation with funds raised from parents, schools, local government, Rotary Clubs and local companies.  Their match is a key ingredient in showing the priority they place on their children receiving these computers and ensuring a strong sense of local ownership.

Please go here for more information.

Today the Harvard African Law Association (HALA) and HLS Advocates hosted Hauwa Ibrahim, a Nigerian human rights activist, during a lunch session. I have heard Ms. Ibrahim speak before but I’m constantly blown away each time.

Ms. Ibrahim was on the team of lawyers who defended Amina Lawal, a young lady sentenced to death by stoning in 2002. Amina’s case became incredibly popular as a test case for the new Sharia law in Nigeria and an international movement was built around getting her sentence overturned. Today, Hauwa Ibrahim spoke about why she took up Amina’s case and some of the strategies she used to prosecute it. She narrated the difficulties women faced in the courtroom; for instance, she and her team had to hire a male lawyer because women were not allowed to speak up in the courtroom. During the appeal, they would pass handwritten notes to the male lawyer to read out loud to the judges. She explained the difficulties of prosecuting a case based on laws written in English, when the judges did not read or write in English. She spoke of the threats to her own personal safety in the face of accusations that she was being paid by the West to ‘destroy Islam.’ She mused about the shortcomings of instituting Sharia in a society that did not meet the minimum requirements of community justice as set out in the Koran – i.e. the extreme inequality that exists in Nigerian communities is contrary to the spirit of Sharia, and impedes the proper application of Sharia law.

I was particularly impressed with Ms. Ibrahim’s ability to challenge the ‘system’ even while according it her utmost respect. She once told a story of how she did her best to appease the elders in her community who were irritated by the presence of a woman in the courtroom ‘challenging’ the law. She went to them in a mosque, fully covered as required in her culture, bowed to them, and said ‘I’m here to get your advice, my fathers, because I do not know what I am doing – but I want to save my sisters’ life.’ [paraphrased]

In her view, defending her clients meant putting their interests first, and doing that meant that she and her team had to win both inside and outside the court.

Amaka Megwalu