Conference Testimonials 2024

I am Dr. Zama Nthua Mkwananzi, a Chief from the Midlands province, Zimbabwe. I participated in the ACLARS 2024 Conference in Victoria Falls and presented a paper on the role of traditional leaders in leadership, religion, and law. The conference was an eye-opener as it afforded me a chance to interact with fellow academics and traditional leaders across the continent. The conference afforded me an opportunity to interact and share ideas, beliefs, and divergent views about a plethora of topics and experiences. I learned a lot and at the same time, l shared ideas and views about traditional leadership which have been written from a lens that is not from the institution in question in the majority of cases. I look forward to participating in future ACLARS Conferences and similar symposia.

I am Dr Tenson Muyambo, a lecturer of Religious Studies at Great Zimbabwe University and a member of ACLARS. At this particular conference, I was both a member of the Local Organising Committee and a presenter of a co-authored paper with my son, Tinotenda Muyambo, a second-year law student at Great Zimbabwe University, who attended as one of the Student Volunteers. Our paper was entitled: ‘Religion, Law and Women Leadership in Africa: Congruence or Incongruence?’ The conference was a masterpiece in terms of the presentations that covered issues on religion, law and leadership in Africa. It was so informative. The keynote speakers lived up to expectations and the exchanges were insightful. Thematically, the panel sessions were well organised and time keeping was superb. I managed to interact with scholars from many institutions and mooted some research projects that we are preparing to start. This was a conference with a difference with a Training component as an enriching addition. I attended the research component of the Training session and it was beneficial for young scholars and experienced scholars alike. Seasoned researchers shared their experiences with young academics and what an exchange! I also had an opportunity to have my son exposed to the world of academics at an undergraduate level, an experience he cherished and continues to talk about. This will go a long way in nurturing him to be an academic in his own right.

I am Tinotenda Muyambo, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Honours Degree student at Great Zimbabwe University’s Herbert Chitepo School of Law and Business Sciences, where I am also currently serving as the Vice President of the Moot Society. I attended the ACLARS conference as part of Great Zimbabwe University’s student volunteers team. Our role as volunteers among, other things, was to assist the guests and speakers to their respective rooms, especially when there were concurrent sessions in progress. It was a great opportunity for me as a law student to have a hands-on experience of what occurs at such a grand event. I was also grateful to participate at the conference not only as a student volunteer but as one who had a rare and pioneering opportunity to co-author a paper with my father, Dr. Tenson Muyambo entitled ‘Religion, Law and Women Leadership in Africa: Congruence or Incongruence?’. It was an amazing moment for me to write such a coherent piece with my father (a religious studies scholar) despite the fact that we operate in different departments and disciplines. The conference itself was a learning curve as I had the chance to engrave myself with great authors, professors, Chiefs and a King who were well versed in the relationship between law and religion. This relationship had always been an abstract idea for me as law is sometimes created without regard to any moral compass or values (positivist theory on law). However, the conference showed me that such a relationship is possible and important as testified by our joint paper. The speakers were a diverse combination of authors and professors from different parts of Africa giving their professional perspectives on the issues related to law and religion. One of my favorite speakers was Professor Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, who gave a comprehensive paper which revealed the importance of human dignity in all spheres of life, law and religion included. I also had the opportunity to converse with aforementioned speakers and was introduced to the nitty-gritty of the world of academia, which I was oblivious to. For me the ACLARS conference changed certain perspectives that I had and granted the chance, I would attend the annual conference on a regular basis.

I am Dr Nelly Mwale, from the Department of Religious Studies, at the University of Zambia. It was my first time to participate in the ACLARS and I am grateful for being accorded the opportunity to become a member of ACLARS. At this conference, I presented a paper on the role of religious actors in fostering peacebuilding in the political sphere. The conference theme and all the sessions were engaging and enriching. I also found the inclusion of a mentorship session on the conference programme to have provided hands on insights in the areas of teaching, research and publication in Religion and Law. It was one of the best conferences I have ever attended both in terms of knowledge and experiences gained. The conference will go a long way to growing the Religion and Law nexus in Zambia.

We had a great conference at Victoria Falls. As a couple, it was our first time attending such a high-profile international conference presenting and answering questions in front of a full house. We guess that many people attended our session because they wanted to listen to two voices of a couple presenting in the same panel. Additionally, Bernard chaired one of the sessions. It gave us a breadth and depth of knowledge about the new dimension of our marriage as academics. We joyously interacted with various guests at Elephant Hills Hotel including high-power names in the field of Law and Religion. We also had lots of fun when we joined everybody to view the Falls punctuated by a memorable and hilarious dinner at Boma.

Attending the African Consortium on Law and Religion Studies gave me an enriching insight that there exists an intricate web of connections between law and religion that brings profound guidance in understanding justice, morality, and society. I was engaged in timekeeping, directing, together with assisting guests then lastly discussions, question and answer sessions with various guest speakers. Personally, the diverse presentations and discussions were thought-provoking and the networking opportunities were invaluable. I gained a new appreciation for the role of faith in shaping legal frameworks together with how the law acknowledges the significance of religion in shaping our values. I am an aspiring human rights lawyer who learned a lot from the presentations and discussions that the law strikes a balance between religion and law by ensuring that the recognition of religion does not veto human rights and dignity. The African proverb ‘The spear that kills the elephant is not the one that removes the hide’ gave me the lesson that justice is a multifaceted process that requires different approaches and perspectives to achieve true resolution and restoration, which is also a key principle in both law and religion. Law and religion cannot live in isolation thus the law is the watchman of religion and vice versa. The insights I gained will forever remain etched in my mind.

I am Joram Tarusarira, Associate Professor for Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding at the University of Groningen. The 2024 ACLARS conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was my first after hearing about its vibrant academic flavor and societal relevance. I was on the panel on Zimbabwean history and context. The panel focused on priming the audience on Zimbabwe by looking at its history and origins, its people, languages, ethnic groups, culture, heritage, environment, the history of the academic study of religion, religious freedom, the history of law in Zimbabwe/ Zimbabwean Universities, legal and judiciary systems, religion and politics. The level of academic engagement was refreshing. The participation of societal actors, especially traditional leaders, who did not only sit in to listen but chaired sessions, presented papers, and debated issues with the conference delegates was refreshing. In speaking with Hon. Chief Ngungumbane, a traditional leader, Senator, and member of the Senatorial Thematic Committee on HIV/AIDS and Peace and Security in the Zimbabwean Parliament, he noted ACLARS’ unique step of talking with the institutions it studies and not about them without them.