International Migration Law and Indigenous Displacement in Africa

Indigenous Peoples are First Peoples who inhabited the lands of modern states prior to the arrival of European colonists. Dispossessed of their land by colonisers and their successor states, many Indigenous Peoples migrate(d) in search of survival. Yet, the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is silent on the protection of displaced Indigenous Peoples. Today, an accumulation of factors such as globalisation, neoliberalism/capitalism, unemployment, conflicts, climate change and sexual orientation aggravate the condition of these people. With particular emphasis on displaced Indigenous Peoples in Africa, this panel discusses the structure and efficacy of the international migration law regime.

Speakers:

• Anthony Diala, (moderator) Department of Private Law, University of Western Cape
• David Moore, Religious Studies, Stephen’s University
• Portia Owusu, Department of English, Texas A&M University
• Valentine Udoh James, Geosciences Department, PennWest University
• Njoki Wane, Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

This session is organized by ASIL’s Africa Interest Group and co-sponsored by the Migration Law Interest Group and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group.