1 Sacco, RDi Alcune Singolari Convergenze Fra il Diritto Ancestrale Dei Berberi e Quello Dei Somali [On some strange convergences between Berbers and Somali customary law] in Scritti in Onore di Angelo Falzea (1991, Giuffrè) vol IV at 397Google Scholar.

2 Lévy-Bruhl, H “Introduction à l'étude du droit coutumier Africain” [Introduction to the study of African customary law] (1956) 8 Revue Internationale de Droit Comparé 67 at 68CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

3 Sacco, RIntroduzione al Diritto Privato Somalo [Introduction to Somali private law] (1973, Giappichelli)Google Scholar at 17.

4 The French appellation “African native law(s)” is used in this article instead of “African customary law(s)” since it emphasizes that these legal rules are derived from African cultures and traditions. The French appellation, which can be attributed to Vanderlinden, JLes Systèmes Juridiques Africains [African legal systems] (1983, PUF)Google Scholar, perhaps better renders the essence of African laws.

5 Lévy-Bruhl “Introduction à l'étude”, above at note 2.

6 Nothing is written down (neither rules nor judgments) and “doctrine” is the oral transmission of legal rules from one generation to another.

7 See Sacco, RAntropologia Giuridica [Legal anthropology] (2007, Il Mulino)Google Scholar at 196; Holleman, JFIssues in African Law (1974, Mouton)Google Scholar at 13; Allott, ANEssays in African Law with Special Reference to the Law of Ghana (1960, Butterworths)Google Scholar at 61.

8 There is a broad doctrinal contribution on the issue of “codification” of native laws and related problems. An important part of this contribution can be found in Renteln, A Dundes “The ascertainment of folk law” in Renteln, A Dundes (ed) Folk Law: Essays in the Theory and Practice of Lex Non Scripta (1995, The University of Wisconsin Press)Google Scholar vol I. See also Bennett, TW and Vermeulen, T “Codification of customary law” (1980) 24 Journal of African Law 206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

9 Sacco, RIl Diritto Africano [African law] (1995, UTET)Google Scholar; Vorster, LP “Indigenous law and development” (1985) 1 Development Southern Africa 38Google Scholar; Bennett and Vermeulen id. But see Lévy-Bruhl “Introduction à l'étude”, above at note 2 at 74.

10 Twining, WLThe Place of Customary Law in the National Legal Systems of East Africa (1964, University of Chicago Law School).Google Scholar

11 Bennett and Vermeulen “Codification of customary law”, above at note 8 at 219.

12 Aime, MLa Casa di Nessuno: I Mercati in Africa Occidentale [The house of no-one: Markets in West Africa] (2002, Bollati Boringhieri)Google Scholar at 34 et seq.

13 Alliot, M “Les résistances traditionnelles au droit moderne dans les états d'Afrique francophone et à Madagascar” [Traditional resistance to modern law in the Francophone states of Africa and in Madagascar] in Kuyu, C (ed) Le Droit et le Service Public au Miroir de l'Anthropologie (2003, Karthala)Google Scholar 169 at 170.

14 Guadagni, MIl Modello Pluralista [The pluralist pattern] (1996, Giappichelli)Google Scholar at 27. Allott, AN “African law” in Derrett, JDMAn Introduction to Legal Systems (1968, Sweet & Maxwell)Google Scholar 140 at 140 observed that “Africa … is a comparative-law laboratory, in which the process of legal comparison and conflict can be seen in action”.

15 Alliot “Les résistances traditionnelles”, above at note 13.

16 See Sacco Il Diritto Africano, above at note 9; Guadagni Il Modello Pluralista, above at note 14; M'Baye, K “The African conception of law” in International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (vol II, 1975, Tubingen) 138Google Scholar; Ntampaka, CIntroduction aux Systèmes Juridiques Africains [Introduction to African legal systems] (2005, Presses Universitaires de Namur)Google Scholar; Fall, A BadaraIl Diritto Africano ha una sua Collocazione Nel Diritto Comparato? [Has African law its own place in comparative law?] (2007, Pensa Ed).Google Scholar

17 Bamodu, G “Transnational law, unification and harmonization of international commercial law in Africa” (1994) 38 Journal of African Law 125 at 127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

18 Alliot “Les résistances traditionnelles”, above at note 13.

19 See, for example, Guadagni, M (ed) La Scelta ‘Socialista’ in Etiopia, Somalia e Tanzania [The socialist option in Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania] (1979, CLUET).Google Scholar

20 Harrell-Bond, BE and van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, EAB (eds) Disparity Between Law and Social Reality in Africa (1975, Kroniek van Africa, Leiden, Afrika Studiezentrum).Google Scholar

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22 Beckstrom, JH “Transplantation of legal systems: An early report on the reception of western laws in Ethiopia” (1973) 21 American Journal of Comparative Law 557CrossRefGoogle Scholar; David, R “Les sources du code civil Éthiopien” [Sources of the Ethiopian civil code] (1962) 14 Revue Internationale de Droit Comparé 497CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Vanderlinden, J “Civil law and common law influences on the developing law of Ethiopia” (1966–67) 16 Buffalo Law Review 250.Google Scholar

23 A good example of this approach is the Ethiopian codification project, which proposed a radical reform of the whole legal system, including the almost total abolition of native law since it was considered to vary too much from one area to another, to be unstable and often to lack true juridical characteristics. See David, ibid.

24 Conac, GLes Institutions Constitutionnelles des États d'Afrique Francophone et de la République Malgache [The constitutional institutions of the Francophone African countries and of the Malgasy Republic] (1979, Economica).Google Scholar

25 Djapou, J Mande “L’état du droit civil en République Centrafricaine” [The state of civil law in the Central African Republic] in Willybiro-Sako, J (ed) Le Rôle de la Justice dans le Développement de la RCA (1991, published in Bangui) 141Google Scholar; Bennett and Vermeulen “Codification of customary law”, above at note 8. A particular case is that of Eritrea, where the Ethiopian presence has been regarded as a colonial one and where the Ethiopian system has been provisionally maintained until a new Eritrean system is in place.

26 T Dejean “L'organisation judiciaire Centrafricaine” [The judicial organization in Central African Republic] in Willybiro-Sako (ed) id, 28; Mancuso, S “African legal hybridity: Interaction of western, Islamic and native law in the Comorian legal system” in Ritaine, E Cashin, Donlan, SP, Sychold, M (eds) Comparative Law and Hybrid Legal Traditions (2010, Schulthess) 97.Google Scholar

27 Dejean, ibid.

28 With reference to Mozambique, see Guadagni, MIl Diritto in Mozambico [Law in Mozambique] (1989, Trento University Press)Google Scholar; with regard to Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania see again id La Scelta ‘Socialista’, above at note 19.

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30 On this point see Mbambi, V Kangulumba “Les droits originellement Africains dans les récents mouvements de codification: Le cas des pays d'Afrique francophone subSaharienne” [African traditional laws in the recent codification trends : The case of sub-Saharan African Francophone countries] (2005) 46 Les Cahiers de Droit 315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

31 This phenomenon was already described by Allott “Law in the new Africa”, above at note 21, who observed how this different view on law had already been adopted through the enactment of the Ethiopian Civil Code.

32 M Alliot “Un droit nouveau est-il en train de naitre en Afrique?” [Is a new law appearing in Africa?] in Kuyu (ed) Le Droit et le Service Public, above at note 13, 193.

33 de Sousa Santos, B “The heterogeneous state and legal pluralism in Mozambique” (2006) 40 Law and Society Review 39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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35 Guadagni Il Modello Pluralista, above at note 14.

36 Harrell-Bond, BE “‘Native’ and ‘non-native’ in Sierra Leone law” (1977) 17 American Universities Field Staff Reports, Africa, West Africa Series 1.Google Scholar

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41 Harrell-Bond “‘Native’ and ‘non-native’”, above at note 36.

42 In reality native laws already had rules relating to the settlement of disputes where the parties were from different groups or clans. See for example Brausch, G “La justice coutumière chez les Bakwa Luntu” [The customary justice of the Bakwa Luntu] (1942) 1 African Studies 235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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44 le Roy, ÉLes Africains et l'Institution de la Justice [The African people and the judicial institution] (2004, Dalloz)Google Scholar. On law and witchcraft, see Mutungi, OKLegal Aspects of Witchcraft in East Africa (1977, East African Literature Bureau).Google Scholar

45 Ross, J and Berhe, Z “Legal aspects of doing business in Addis Ababa: A profile of mercato businessmen and their reception of new laws” (1974) 10 African Law Studies 1.Google Scholar

46 This is the case, for example, in today's Somalia, where in the total absence of a centralized state (an institution that is not part of Somali culture) a thriving commercial system has developed governed by a system of usages and practices based on Somali traditions. For example, in Mogadishu there is a flourishing market of foreign products of many kinds, furnished by a traders’ network which collects savings from Somali emigrants around the world and invests them in the purchase of goods that gives them the possibility of recovering the amount of the remittances as well as generating some income once the goods have been brought into and sold in Somalia. This happens without any written contract, and is based purely on trust and relations within the clans. See for more information: Guadagni Il Modello Pluralista, above at note 14.

47 Harrell-Bond “‘Native’ and ‘non-native’”, above at note 36.

48 The Comorian family code was approved by Law 05-008 of 3 June 2005. See Sermet, L “Droit de la femme et pluralisme aux Comores” [The law of women and pluralism in Comoros] (2008) 1 Revue Aspects 87.Google Scholar

49 Such a reaction is reported by de Sousa Santos “The heterogeneous state”, above at note 33 at 59.

50 Further details can be found in Guy, P “Le Minhadj-at-twalibin et les coutumes Comoriennes dans le statut personnel” [The Minhadj-at-twalibin and Comorian customs on family law] (1985) 6 Études Océan Indien 7.Google Scholar

51 Ntampaka Introduction aux Systèmes Juridiques, above at note 16 at 98.

52 Ibid.

53 The declamation is contained in art 4 of the constitution, significantly titled “Legal pluralism”.

54 The existing body of literature on legal pluralism is extremely extensive. On the origin of the concept, see Carbonnier, JFlexible Droit [Flexible law] (7th ed, 1992, LGDJ)Google Scholar. See also D Pimentel “Legal pluralism in post-colonial Africa: Linking statutory and customary adjudication in Mozambique”, available at: <http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=david_pimentel> (last accessed 13 January 2012); Griffiths, J “What is legal pluralism?” (1986) 24 Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 1 at 38Google Scholar; Glissen, J (ed) Le Pluralisme Juridique [Legal pluralism] (1972, Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles)Google Scholar; Guadagni, M “Legal pluralism” in Newman, P (ed) The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics and the Law (1998, McMillan) 542.Google Scholar

55 J Vanderlinden “Villes Africaines”, above at note 37 at 250.

56 The existing body of literature on OHADA law is quite extensive. The French law journal Revue Penant dedicates most of each quarterly issue to doctrine and case law related to OHADA law. For a general overview of OHADA, see: “L'Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA)” 205 (13 October 2004) Petites Affiches; Issa-Sayegh, J “L'intégration juridique des états Africains dans la zone Franc” [Legal integration of the African countries in the Franc zone] (1997) 823 Revue PenantGoogle Scholar 5 and (1997) 824 Revue Penant 120 (parts I and II); Issa-Sayegh, J “Quelques aspects techniques de l'intégration juridique: L'exemple des actes uniformes de l'OHADA” [Some technical aspects of legal integration: The example of OHADA uniform acts] (1999) 4 Uniform Law Review 5CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Martor, B, Pilkington, N, Sellers, DS and Thouvenot, SLe Droit Uniforme Africain des Affaires Issu de l'OHADA [African uniform business law issued by OHADA] (2009, Lexis Nexis Litec)Google Scholar; Mouloul, AComprendre l'OHADA [Understanding OHADA] (2nd ed, 2008, published in Conakry)Google Scholar; Tiger, PLe Droit des Affaires en Afrique [Business law in Africa] (1999, Presses Universitaires de France)Google Scholar; as well as the official collections of OHADA law, one published by Presses Universitaires d'Afrique in Yaoundé in 1999, the other by Bruylant in Brussels in 2002.

57 Meyer, P “La sécurité juridique et judiciaire dans l'espace OHADA” [Legal and judicial security in the OHADA zone] (2006) 855 Revue Penant 151.Google Scholar

58 Issa-Sayegh “Quelques aspects techniques”, above at note 56 at 12.

59 Alliot “Un droit nouveau”, above at note 32.

60 Mancuso, S “Trends on the harmonization of contract law in Africa” (2007) 13 Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law 157.Google Scholar

61 Consideration can be seen, for example, in the consent to marriage given by a woman to her suitor and the performance that he has to execute in her favour, as well as in the case of donations, because in several cultures a gift creates the need for a counter-gift.

62 See Vanderlinden, JCoutumier, Manuel et Jurisprudence du Droit Zande [Handbook and jurisprudence on Zande customary law] (1969, Éditions de l'Institut de Sociologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles)Google Scholar; Da Silva, AAUsos e Costumes Jurídicos dos Felupes da Guiné [Customary law of the Felupes from Guinea] (1960, published in Bissau)Google Scholar; Lyall, A “Traditional contracts in German East Africa: The transition from pre-capitalist forms” (1986) 30 Journal of African Law 91CrossRefGoogle Scholar; I Schapera “Contract in Tswana law” and Ghai, Y “Customary contracts and transactions in Kenya” both in Gluckman, M (ed) Ideas and Procedures in African Customary Law (1969, Oxford University Press)Google Scholar 319 and 333 respectively; A van Schalkwyk “The indigenous law of contract with particular reference to the Swazi in the Kingdom of Swaziland”, available at: <http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1084/thesis.pdf?sequence=1> (last accessed 13 January 2012).

63 Verdier, R “Les sûretés personnelles dans les droits Africains traditionnels” [Personal guarantees in African traditional law] in Recueil de la Societè J Bodin pour l'Histoire Comparative des Institutions, XXVIII: Les Sûretés Personnelles (1974, Éditions de la Librairie Encyclopédique)Google Scholar 148 at 148–53; Snyder, F “Land law and economic change in rural Senegal: Diola pledge, transactions and disputes” in Hamnet, I (ed) Social Anthropology and the Law (1977, London Academic Press) 113Google Scholar; Masucci, GIl Garante Nelle Consuetudini Etiopiche [The guarantor in Ethiopian customary law] (1941, OIDA Ed).Google Scholar

64 Ntampaka Introduction aux Systèmes Juridiques, above at note 16 at 18.

65 Uniform Act on General Commercial Law, art 34 et seq.

66 Id, art 36.

67 Id, art 79 et seq.

68 See further Mancuso “African legal hybridity”, above at note 26.

69 Uniform Act on Securities, title 3, art 190 et seq.

70 Ehongo, P Dima “L'intégration juridique du droit des affaires en Afrique: Les pièges d'un droit uniforme et hégémonique dans le droit de l'OHADA” [Legal integration of business law in Africa: The traps of a uniform and hegemonic law in OHADA law] in le Roy, É (ed) Juridicités: Témoignages Réunis à l'Occasion du Quarantième Anniversaire du LAJP (2006, Khartala) 137.Google Scholar

71 C Tohon “Le traité de l'OHADA, l'anthropologue du droit et le monde des affaires en Afrique et en France” [OHADA treaty, the legal anthropologist and business people in Africa and France] in le Roy (ed) id, 129.

72 There are many definitions of the “informal sector”. In its 1972 report “Employment, incomes and equality: A strategy for increasing productive employment in Kenya” at 6 the International Labour Organization defined “informal activities” as “the way of doing things, characterised by (a) ease of entry; (b) reliance on indigenous resources; (c) family ownership of enterprises; (d) small scale of operation; (e) labour-intensive and adapted technology; (f) skills acquired outside the formal school system; and (g) unregulated and competitive markets. Informal-sector activities are largely ignored, rarely supported, often regulated and sometimes actively discouraged by the government.”

73 On average, informal commerce today represents around 60% of the GDP of African countries. Source: African Union “Study on the informal sector in Africa” sixth ordinary session of the Labor and Social Affairs Commission of the African Union, Addis Ababa, 2008.

74 The denomination of tontine sometimes may change, but the structure of the institution remains the same.

75 In Africa, a tontine is extremely common, facilitating a friendly exchange of goods in kind, meals, mutual aid to help build a roof or cultivate a field, and so on. So far as the exchange of money is concerned, the principle is simple: members contribute money to a communal fund and each person, in turn, receives the money which has been collected for a certain period of time, normally for small investments. The return on these investments is also used to pay back the money. See Aime La Casa di Nessuno, above at note 12; Njoh, AJTradition, Culture and Development in Africa: Historical Lessons for Modern Development Planning (2006, Ashgate)Google Scholar; and, with specific reference to the tontines, Bukam, E KamdemTontines ou Schwa: Banques des Pauvres [Tontines or Schwa: Banks of the poor] (1995, Edilis)Google Scholar, Nzemen, MTontines et Développement ou, le Défi Financier de l'Afrique [Tontines and development or, the African financial challenge] (1993, Presses Universitaires du Cameroun)Google Scholar, Lelart, M (ed) La Tontine, Pratique Informelle d'Épargne et de Crédit dans les Pays en Voie de Développement [The tontine, savings and credit informal practice in developing countries] (1990, UREF)Google Scholar and again Nzemen, MThéorie de la Pratique des Tontines au Cameroun [Theory and practice of tontines in Cameroon] (1988, Société de Presse et d'Éditions du Cameroun).Google Scholar

76 See J Winter “Telecoms thriving in lawless Somalia” (19 November 2004) BBC News, available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4020259.stm> (last accessed 13 January 2012).

77 See art 30 of the revised OHADA Uniform Act on General Commercial Law.

78 The proceedings have been published in Allott, AN (ed) The Future of Law in Africa (1960, Butterworth).Google Scholar

79 The preamble of the OHADA treaty is very clear on this point.

80 With reference to this last point, the newsletters of the Fondation pour le Droit Continental and its support for the spreading of the OHADA model in Africa are available at:<www.fondation-droitcontinental.org> (last accessed 18 November 2013).