Do Constitutions Matter? The Dilemma of a Radical Lawyer

Authors

  • Issa Shivji University of Dar es Salaam (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52907/slr.v5i1.122

Keywords:

Constitutions, Revolutions, Transformation, Political Power, Citizen Rights and Freedoms

Abstract

Constitutions do not make revolutions. Revolutions make constitutions. No constitution envisages its own death for that is what a revolution entail. But constitutions matter. Some of the finest constitutions have been erected on ugly socio-economic formations wrought with extreme inequalities and inequities. South Africa and Kenya are examples. But constitutions do matter. Constitutions rarely herald fundamental transformations. They are the product of major transformations to consolidate the new status quo. Yet constitutions do matter. Why do constitutions matter? Why do we need constitutions? Why does every revolution and major change in modern societies birth new constitutions?

Author Biography

Issa Shivji, University of Dar es Salaam (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

Former Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Chair in Pan-African Studies, University of Dar-es-salaam. The author is a ‘Tanzanian author and academic, and one of Africa’s leading experts on law and development issues'. He has taught and worked in universities all over the world. This is a keynote address delivered to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Constitution of Kenya of 2010.

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Published

2020-08-01

How to Cite

Shivji, I. (2020). Do Constitutions Matter? The Dilemma of a Radical Lawyer. Strathmore Law Review, 5(1), 157–161. https://doi.org/10.52907/slr.v5i1.122

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2020): Strathmore Law Review

Section

Articles