The Harmonisation of Traditional and Western Legal Education in Africa

Abstract

In the formal and informal modes of what Castle aptly terms ‘education for life’ in traditional African societies, legal education was a highly significant element. The task of legal education in modern Africa might appear to offer a striking contrast to the traditional pattern which has been outlined. For of legal education even more than other types of education it is fair to assert that western states themselves are currently trapped in circumstances which may hopefully be termed ‘transitional stages’ but which certainly reflect their own dilemmas in reconciling their own educational traditions with the contemporary demands of a changing, technological society. Before the possibilities of harmonisation are considered, it will be useful to note that different types of legal education are required in many African states, for different purposes and different persons. The nature and purposes of legal education are such that its methods are adaptable to a variety of techniques, old and new.