Inheritance and Disinheritance of Widows and Orphans

The right to inherit property in Zambia is a lens through which the author scrutinises the clash that occurs between written law and African customary law; the effect of that clash on human and legal rights; and the helpless position in which that leaves the victims of the clash. This book clearly shows that although pluralism offers an opportunity for different legal systems to co-exist, much more is yet to be done to ensure the protection of rights in today’s plural African societies. The author proposes that it is imperative to create a new institution altogether dedicated solely to spearheading and managing reform of African customary law, and this she calls ‘The Institute of African Philosophy and Human Rights’ (IAPHR).