Thursday, April 21, 2011

The African Court

It is said that when your neighbour does you wrong you have two options. You can take them to the European Court. There, lawyers and the judge would determine the matter. You may take them to the African Court instead. There, the spirits would determine the matter. If you refuse a summons to the European Court, the judge will send the police to bring you. As for the African Court, you simply cannot refuse a summons – you will find yourself attending whether or not you wish to. You can bring an appeal from the European Court to the African Court. The reverse is not true. A final difference: the European Court tends to punish by fines and prison and declarations; the African Court’s punishment tends to be incantations, insanity and life-and-death issues.

12 comments:

  1. This is a good piece – “as for the African court you simply cannot refuse summons” – hahahha… really? But as my friends will say, nsԑm wᴐ world!
    Anyway, to veer slightly off topic though, and relate this to the piece on mental illness - the fact that African courts punish with insanity partly explains the stigma of mental illness.

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  2. And in the African Courts the accused would not defend himself. The complainant would not need to prove anything. The Spirits decide these things.

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  3. Instant justice; the African way.

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  4. Kwame Mensa-Bonsu22 April, 2011

    So which one is better, NY?

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  5. @ yeh:

    I agree. Even more than poverty, the one direct reason for our dismal treatment of mental health patients is superstition.

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  6. @ Nana Fredua-Agyeman:

    Yes, it is said that once the complaint is laid, everybody can go home and wait for the verdict of the spirits. And you will know when it has been given. THE VERDICT WILL FIND YOU!

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  7. @ Tetekai:

    Can't agree totally. Instant justice has got to be lynching. I'm told the verdicts of the African Courts are not always instant. :p

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  8. @ Kwame Mensa-Bonsu:

    I know what happens in the European Court. I have only heard about the African Court. If what I know and what I hear are both true, then the African Court is much the better court by light years.

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  9. The African Court... I am not too sure, Nana. I know in the past, you feared even going to the African Court when you were in the wrong because the lawyers and judges could not be bought and what you wished on whoever you accused would happen to you if you were actually the guilty party. Nowadays, it seems corruption has permeated even that system...

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  10. Kwame Mensa-Bonsu22 April, 2011

    With no appeal process in the African Courts? One has to hope the spirits are always...always...right!

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  11. The appeal and re-trial can only be done posthumously. Then, if fate permits the wrongly-accused cab hunt the true perp to his heart's content.

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  12. African court RULES! I more ways than one.

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