Malawi (University of Malawi) Law students attend Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition

Students at the University of Malawi have a history of travelling to participate in international events, including conferences and moot court competitions. On 25th July, 2022, two Law students travelled to the 31st Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition at the British University in Egypt. The two students, Ms. Taona Banda and Mr. Bentry Ignatious Nyondo, in fourth and third years respectively, represented the University of Malawi.

The Moot Court Competition took place from 24th to 31st July, 2022. It is an annual event, organized by the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in partnership with a host university which brings together law students, academics, and judges from more than half of Africa’s 120 law faculties to argue a hypothetical human rights case and share expertise in the field of human rights law.

Reflecting on the trip, Ms Banda said her experience at the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition was one that was filled with thrills and lifelong lessons. Said she: “Among several highlights of the trip was being able to meet people from different law schools and being able to appreciate how diverse or similar our experiences are”.

She said her major highlight was being able to engage in conversation and argue a hypothetical case around human trafficking, regulation of AI technology (access list) and the protection of the environment and being able to appreciate the vast body of knowledge around these topics.

“I am looking forward to the next opportunity to once again be able to internalize a hypothetical case and to learn from the various issues that arise from arguing both the applicant’s and the defendant’s case and continue to improve on my oral,” she concluded.

On his part Mr. Nyondo said he richly benefited from his participation in the competition, adding that the most notable lessons drawn from participation in the competition included the importance of embracing loss and perfecting one’s shortfalls.

This year’s competition tackled issues relating to climate change, human trafficking, and social media giants and artificial intelligence.