Regional Conferences in Africa

ACLARS Conferences

7th Law and Religion in Africa Conference: Law, Religion, and Environment in Africa
Gaborone, Botswana 19-22 May 2019

Following the success of conferences in Ghana (2013), South Africa (2014), Namibia (2015), Ethiopia (2016), Morocco (2017) and Nigeria (2018), the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies convened its Seventh Annual Law and Religion Conference in Gaborone, Botswana from 19 to 22 May 2019 in collaboration with the Department of Theology & Religious Studies, the Department of Law at the University of Botswana, and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies of the Brigham Young University Law School, USA.

The subject of the conference was Law, Religion, and Environment in Africa. 

The Sixth ACLARS Conference: Law, Religion, and Human Flourishing, 20-22 May 2018

The 2018 ACLARS Conference—Law, Religion, and Human Flourishing—was held 20-22 May 2018 at Baze University in Abuja, Nigeria. Participants gathered to explore their shared interest in the relationship of law and religion to the advancement of human flourishing. The conference was co-sponsored by ACLARS (the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies), ICLARS (the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies, Milan, Italy), WARCLARS (the West African Regional Center for Law and Religion Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria), and ICLRS (the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States).

The Fifth Conference on Law and Religion in Africa, Rabat Morocco, 14-17 May 2017

The Fifth Annual Conference of the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS) took place in Rabat, Morocco, from 14 to 17 May 2017. Following the success of conferences in Ghana (2013), South Africa (2014), Namibia (2015) and Ethiopia (2016), this event was a collaboration of ACLARS with the International University of Rabat; the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) of Brigham Young University Law School, United States; and the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS), Milan, Italy.

Participating in this highly successful event were more than 100 scholars and government and religious leaders from Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe….

2016 ACLARS Conference: ‘Religious Pluralism, Heritage, and Social Development in Africa’

More than 60 scholars, legal professionals, and religious leaders from Africa and many other parts of the world joined in the Fourth Conference on Law and Religion in Africa, sponsored by the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS) and held Sunday, 22 May to Tuesday, 24 May, 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A workshop for early career scholars was held immediately prior to the conference on May 22. The theme of the conference, which was hosted by College of Law and Good Governance Studies of Addis Ababa University and held at the Capital Hotel, was “Religious Pluralism, Heritage, and Social Development in Africa”.

Awol Wagris, Ethiopia State Minister of Federal and Pastoralist Affairs, delivered the opening speech of the conference: “Looking ahead,” he said, “the greatest challenges our country faces with regard to the protection of religious freedom and promotion of religious pluralism are religious extremism, intolerance, and violent conflict.” He added that addressing this challenge effectively requires the promotion of mutual understanding, respect, cooperation…

Religious Freedom and Religious Pluralism in Africa: Windhoek Namibia 18-19 May 2015

The Third Conference on Law and Religion in Africa took place in Windhoek, Namibia, May 18-19, 2015. This memorable and very successful conference focused on the theme “Religious Freedom and Religious Pluralism in Africa: Prospects and Limitations.” Some sixty participants participated in the conference, from 17 countries:  UK, US, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Namibia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Belgium.

Participants discussed such topics as:

  • African traditional law / religion
  • Human rights and dignity (including rights of

The Second Conference on Law and Religion in Africa: Stellenbosch, South Africa 2014

The Second Conference on Law and Reliion in Africa, with the theme “The Quest for the Common Good in Pluralistic Societies”, was held 26-28 May 2014 at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.  The conference was co-sponsored by Stellenbosch University Faculty of Law and Faculty of Theology (Unit for the Study of Law and Religion, Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology); by the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States; by the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS), Milan; by Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and by Juta & Company (Publishers and Booksellers). 

Keynote speakers at the conference were South African Constitutional Court Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs and Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. Other speakers included notable scholars and religious leaders from Benin, Belgium, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Israel, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Quest for the Common Good in Pluralistic Societies: Stellenbosch 26-28 May 2014

The Second Conference on Law and Religion in Africa took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa 26-28- May 2014.  The theme of the Confere was Law and Religion in Africa 2014: The Quest for the Common Good in Pluralistic Societies. Keynote speakers were South African Constitutional Court Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs and Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.  The conference was sponsored by Stellenbosch University, the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Theology (Unit for the Study of Law and Religion, Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology); the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States; the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS, Milan); Catholic University of Leuven; and Juta & Company (Publishers and Booksellers). As a major event of the conference, the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS) was officially launched, with Prof dr Pieter Coertzen as President.

Law and Religion in Africa: Comparative Practices, Experiences, and Prospects: Ghana 14-15 January 2013

The conference “Law and Religion in Africa: Comparative Practices, Experiences, and Prospects” was held 14-15 January 2013 at the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana. 

Scholars, legal professionals, and religious leaders from Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierre Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, the United Kindgom, and the United States gathered in Legon for the two-day event.  

The event was sponsored by the Unit for the Study of Law and Religion in the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa; the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University, United States; and the&nbsp…