The Third Conference on Law and Religion in Africa took place in Windhoek, Namibia, 18-19 May 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 children, the disabled, the elderly and women)
  • Implications of globalisation, neo-liberalism, democratisation, and fragile states for religious practice in African societies
  • Competing conceptions of religion and freedom in the African context
  • Tensions between individual and collective rights
  • Relationship of custom, culture, ethnicity and religion
  • State responses to religious pluralism and pluralisation in Africa
  • Theological and/or philosophical approaches to the theme
  • Religious freedoms, rights and responsibilities
  • Religion-state relations
  • Legal perspectives and religion (including national, regional, international and comparative perspectives)
  • Other emerging current concerns for the law and religion field